bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Effects of OEF/OIF-Related Physical and Emotional Co-Morbidities on Associative Learning: Concurrent Delay and Trace Eyeblink Classical Conditioning
Authors: McGlinchey Regina , Fortier Catherine , Venne Jonathan , Maksimovskiy Arkadiy , Milberg William
Published: March 2014

This study examined the performance of veterans and active duty personnel who served in Operation Enduring Freedom and/or Operation Iraqi Freedom (OEF/OIF) on a basic associative learning task. Eighty-eight individuals participated in this study. All received a comprehensive clinical evaluation to determine the presence and severity of posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and traumatic brain injury (TBI). The eyeblink conditioning task was composed of randomly intermixed delay and trace conditioned stimulus (CS) and unconditioned stimulus (US) pairs (acquisition) followed by a series of CS only trials (extinction). Results revealed that those with a clinical diagnosis of PTSD or a diagnosis of PTSD with comorbid mTBI acquired delay and trace conditioned responses (CRs) to levels and at rates similar to a deployed control group, thus suggesting intact basic associative learning. Differential extinction impairment was observed in the two clinical groups. Acquisition of CRs for both delay and trace conditioning, as well as extinction of trace CRs, was associated with alcoholic behavior across all participants. These findings help characterize the learning and memory function of individuals with PTSD and mTBI from OEF/OIF and raise the alarming possibility that the use of alcohol in this group may lead to more significant cognitive dysfunction.
Sensitivity of Oncomelania hupensis to Niclosamide: A Nation-Wide Survey in China
Authors: Dai Jianrong , Li Youzi , Wang Wei , Xing Yuntian , Qu Guoli , Liang Yousheng
Published: March 2014

Schistosomiasis japonica, transmitted by the intermediate host snail Oncomelania hupensis of the causative agent Schistosoma japonicum, remains a major public-health concern in China, and control of this snail is one of the major approaches used in attempts to interrupt the transmission of this neglected tropical disease. Niclosamide is currently the only commercial molluscicide available for the control of O. hupensis snails in China. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the current sensitivity of O. hupensis to niclosamide in China. O. hupensis snails derived from 17 sampling sites from eight schistosomiasis-endemic provinces of China were used for the molluscicidal tests. Active adult snails (10 for each drug concentration), were immersed in solutions of 1, 0.5, 0.25, 0.125, 0.063, 0.032, 0.016 and 0.008 mg/L of 50% wettable powder of niclosamide ethanolamine salt (WPN) for 24 and 48 h at 25°C, and then the snail mortality was estimated and LC50 values were calculated. All field-derived O. hupensis snails were dead following immersion in 0.5 and 1 mg/L WPN for 24 h, whereas no death was observed after immersion in 0.008 mg/L WPN for 24 h. Immersion in 0.5, 0.25, 0.125, 0.063, 0.032 and 0.016 mg/L WPN for 24 h resulted in 80%–100%, 63.33%–100%, 0%–85%, 0%–50%, 0%–15%, and 0%–5% snail mortalities, respectively. The 24 h WPN LC50 values for the O. hupensis snails derived from the 17 sampling sites in China ranged from 0.0743 to 0.2285 mg/L, and no significant difference was detected by the Kolmogorov-Smirnov test (p = 0.2). The results indicate that there is no regional variation in the current susceptibility to niclosamide in O. hupensis populations in China. It is suggested that the current sensitivity of niclosamide against O. hupensis remains high and has not changed after more than two decades of repeated, extensive application for snail control in the main endemic areas of China.
Sphingolipids: Key Regulators of Apoptosis and Pivotal Players in Cancer Drug Resistance
Authors: Giussani Paola , Tringali Cristina , Riboni Laura , Viani Paola , Venerando Bruno
Published: March 2014

Drug resistance elicited by cancer cells still constitutes a huge problem that frequently impairs the efficacy of both conventional and novel molecular therapies. Chemotherapy usually acts to induce apoptosis in cancer cells; therefore, the investigation of apoptosis control and of the mechanisms used by cancer cells to evade apoptosis could be translated in an improvement of therapies. Among many tools acquired by cancer cells to this end, the de-regulated synthesis and metabolism of sphingolipids have been well documented. Sphingolipids are known to play many structural and signalling roles in cells, as they are involved in the control of growth, survival, adhesion, and motility. In particular, in order to increase survival, cancer cells: (a) counteract the accumulation of ceramide that is endowed with pro-apoptotic potential and is induced by many drugs; (b) increase the synthesis of sphingosine-1-phosphate and glucosylceramide that are pro-survivals signals; (c) modify the synthesis and the metabolism of complex glycosphingolipids, particularly increasing the levels of modified species of gangliosides such as 9-O acetylated GD3 (αNeu5Ac(2-8)αNeu5Ac(2-3)βGal(1-4)βGlc(1-1)Cer) or N-glycolyl GM3 (αNeu5Ac (2-3)βGal(1-4)βGlc(1-1)Cer) and de-N-acetyl GM3 (NeuNH(2)βGal(1-4)βGlc(1-1)Cer) endowed with anti-apoptotic roles and of globoside Gb3 related to a higher expression of the multidrug resistance gene MDR1. In light of this evidence, the employment of chemical or genetic approaches specifically targeting sphingolipid dysregulations appears a promising tool for the improvement of current chemotherapy efficacy.
Local Delivery of Antiproliferative Agents via Stents
Authors: Kwon Hyuck , Park Sangsoo
Published: March 2014

A stent is a medical device for serving as an internal scaffold to maintain or increase the lumen of a body conduit. Stent placement has become a primary treatment option in coronary artery disease for more than the last two decades. The stenting is also currently used for relieving the symptoms of narrowed lumen of nonvascular organs, such as esophagus, trachea and bronchi, small and large intestines, biliary, and urinary tract. Local delivery of active pharmaceutical agents via the stents can not only enhance healing of certain diseases, but it can also help decrease the potential risk of the stenting procedure to the surrounding tissue. In this review, we focus on reviewing a variety of drug-impregnated stents and local drug delivery systems using the stents.
Estimating Canopy Characteristics of Inner Mongolia’s Grasslands from Field Spectrometry
Authors: Zhang Feng , John Ranjeet , Zhou Guangsheng , Shao Changliang , Chen Jiquan
Published: March 2014

This study was designed to estimate the canopy biophysical characteristics of semi-arid grassland ecosystems by using in situ field spectrometry measurements to identify important spectral information for predictions at broader spatial scales. Spectral vegetation indices (VIs), reflectance spectra, continuum removal spectra, and the amplitude of the red edge peak (drre) based on 61 well-replicated field measurements across a large area in Inner Mongolia were used to develop empirical models for estimating four key canopy biophysical features: percent green coverage (PGC), canopy height (H), green aboveground biomass (GBM), and total aboveground biomass (TBM). The results showed that NDVI, EVI, NDSVI, and LSWI were useful for estimating canopy biophysical features, with NDSVI being the most significant variable. The PGC was accurately estimated with spectral reflectance at 441 nm and 2220 nm (R2 = 0.71), while the maximum depth of band (Dc), absorption area (Darea) in the red domain and drre were selected for estimating TBM and GBM (R2 = 0.51 and 0.44). Among the four canopy features, PGC received the highest confidence from all of the models (R2 = 0.81), while H was the most difficult to estimate (R2 = 0.49). Finally, the degree of disturbances and ecosystem types appeared to be a significant variable for model development.
Pan-Arctic Climate and Land Cover Trends Derived from Multi-Variate and Multi-Scale Analyses (1981–2012)
Authors: Urban Marcel , Forkel Matthias , Eberle Jonas , Hüttich Christian , Schmullius Christiane , Herold Martin
Published: March 2014

Arctic ecosystems have been afflicted by vast changes in recent decades. Changes in temperature, as well as precipitation, are having an impact on snow cover, vegetation productivity and coverage, vegetation seasonality, surface albedo, and permafrost dynamics. The coupled climate-vegetation change in the arctic is thought to be a positive feedback in the Earth system, which can potentially further accelerate global warming. This study focuses on the co-occurrence of temperature, precipitation, snow cover, and vegetation greenness trends between 1981 and 2012 in the pan-arctic region based on coarse resolution climate and remote sensing data, as well as ground stations. Precipitation significantly increased during summer and fall. Temperature had the strongest increase during the winter months (twice than during the summer months). The snow water equivalent had the highest trends during the transition seasons of the year. Vegetation greenness trends are characterized by a constant increase during the vegetation-growing period. High spatial resolution remote sensing data were utilized to map structural vegetation changes between 1973 and 2012 for a selected test region in Northern Siberia. An intensification of woody vegetation cover at the taiga-tundra transition area was found. The observed co-occurrence of climatic and ecosystem changes is an example of the multi-scale feedbacks in the arctic ecosystems.
A Polarization Control System for Intensity-Resolved Guided Mode Resonance Sensors
Authors: Lin Sheng-Fu , Chang Fu-Chen , Chen Zhi-Heng , Wang Chih-Ming , Yang Tsung-Hsun , Chen Wen-Yih , Chang Jenq-Yang
Published: March 2014

In this study, a polarization-control setup for intensity-resolved guided mode resonance sensors is proposed and demonstrated experimentally. The experimental results are in good agreement with the simulation data based on rigorous coupled wave approach calculations. The proposed intensity-resolved measurement setup transfers polarization ellipses, which are produced from guided mode resonance to a linear polarization state under a buffer solution condition, and then suppresses the signals to dark using a polarization-control set. Hence, any changes in the refractive index results in an increase in the intensity signals. Furthermore, no wavelength-resolved or angular-resolved measurement is needed in this scheme. According to the experimental results, a wide linear detection range of 0.014 refractive index units is achieved and the limit of detection is 1.62E-4 RIU.
Improving the Effectiveness of a Nutrient Removal System Composed of Microalgae and Daphnia by an Artificial Illumination
Authors: Chang In-Ho , Jung Dawoon , Ahn Tae
Published: March 2014

For determining the effect of illumination on nutrient removal in an artificial food web (AFW) system, we launched a pilot continuous-flow system. The system consisted of a storage basin, a phytoplankton growth chamber, and a zooplankton growth chamber. A 25,000 Lux AFW-light emitting diode (LED) on system and an AFW-LED off system were separately operated for 10 days. In the AFW-LED on system, the maximum chlorophyll-a concentration of the phytoplankton chamber was four times higher than that of the AFW-LED off system. With artificial nighttime illumination, the microalgae became both smaller and more nutritious; the microalgae became high quality food for the zooplankton, Daphnia magna. Consequently, this zooplankton became more efficient at extracting nutrients and grew more densely than in the AFW-LED off system condition. In the LED-on condition, the amounts of total nitrogen (TN) and total phosphorus (TP) flowing into the system for 10 days were 84.7 g and 20.4 g, and the amounts flowing out were 19.5 g (23%) and 4.0 g (20%), respectively. In contrast, in the LED-off condition, 83.8 g and 20.6 g of TN and TP flowed into the system while 38.8 g (46%) and 6.8 g (33%) flowed out, respectively. Artificial illumination significantly improves the removal rate of nutrients in an AFW system.
Human Cytomegalovirus US28 Facilitates Cell-to-Cell Viral Dissemination
Authors: Noriega Vanessa , Gardner Thomas , Redmann Veronika , Bongers Gerold , Lira Sergio , Tortorella Domenico
Published: March 2014

Human cytomegalovirus (HCMV) encodes a number of viral proteins with homology to cellular G protein-coupled receptors (GPCRs). These viral GPCRs, including US27, US28, UL33, and UL78, have been ascribed numerous functions during infection, including activating diverse cellular pathways, binding to immunomodulatory chemokines, and impacting virus dissemination. To investigate the role of US28 during virus infection, two variants of the clinical isolate TB40/E were generated: TB40/E-US28YFP expressing a C-terminal yellow fluorescent protein tag, and TB40/E-FLAGYFP in which a FLAG-YFP cassette replaces the US28 coding region. The TB40/E-US28YFP protein localized as large perinuclear fluorescent structures at late times post-infection in fibroblasts, endothelial, and epithelial cells. Interestingly, US28YFP is a non-glycosylated membrane protein throughout the course of infection. US28 appears to impact cell-to-cell spread of virus, as the DUS28 virus (TB40/E-FLAGYFP) generated a log-greater yield of extracellular progeny whose spread could be significantly neutralized in fibroblasts. Most strikingly, in epithelial cells, where dissemination of virus occurs exclusively by the cell-to-cell route, TB40/E-FLAGYFP (DUS28) displayed a significant growth defect. The data demonstrates that HCMV US28 may contribute at a late stage of the viral life cycle to cell-to-cell dissemination of virus.
Antimicrobial resistance to cefotaxime and ertapenem in Enterobacteriaceae: the effects of altering clinical breakpoints
Authors: Liu Po-Yu , Shi Zhi-Yuan , Tung Kwong-Chung , Shyu Ching-Lin , Chan Kun-Wei , Liu Jai-Wen , Wu Zong-Yen , Kao Chih-Chuan , Huang Yi-Ching , Lin Chin-Fu
Published: March 2014

Introduction: The Clinical and Laboratory Standards Institute (CLSI) updated its antimicrobial susceptibility testing interpretation criteria for Enterobacteriaceae. This study assessed the effects of clinical breakpoint changes in the CLSI 2009 to 2012 guidelines on antibiotic susceptibility testing reports. Methodology: In total, 2,076 non-duplicate clinical isolates of Enterobacteriaceae were analyzed. The disk diffusion method was used for susceptibility testing. The CLSI 2009-12 clinical breakpoints were applied to determine susceptibility of cefotaxime and ertapenem. Combined-disk testing was used for phenotypic confirmation of extended-spectrum beta–lactamase (ESBL) production. Results: In total, Enterobacteriaceae resistance rates to cefotaxime increased from 13.1% using the CLSI 2009 guidelines to 23.6% with the CLSI 2010-12 guidelines, and the resistance rates to ertapenem were 0.4%, 1.0% and 0.8% with CLSI 2009, 2011 and 2012, respectively. Based on the 2010-12 CLSI criteria, all ESBL-producing Escherichia coli and Klebsiella pneumoniae were resistant to cefotaxime. Marked differences in susceptibility to ertapenem between the 2009 CLSI criteria and 2012-12 CLSI criteria were noted in ESBL-producing K. pneumoniae. Conclusions: Breakpoints changes in the updated CLSI guidelines resulted in higher resistance rates to cefotaxime and ertapenem. In addition, the effects were different in individual Enterobacteriaceae species. As a result, clinicians may opt to use alternative antimicrobial agents. Upon implementation of the newer CLSI guidelines, laboratories should be aware of the possible consequences and closely monitor the effects.
Effectiveness of two rapid influenza tests in comparison to reverse transcription-PCR for influenza A diagnosis
Authors: Zazueta-García Ramón , Canizalez-Roman Adrian , Flores-Villaseñor Hector , Martínez-Garcia Javier , Llausas-Vargas Alejandro , León-Sicairos Nidia
Published: March 2014

Introduction: The influenza A virus is responsible for high morbidity and mortality in children and adults worldwide. Thus, a rapid, sensitive, and specific diagnosis tool is required. Methodology: An immunofluorescence assay (DFA) and a lateral-flow immunochromatographic assay were compared with RT-PCR for detection of the influenza A virus in 113 nasopharyngeal wash samples obtained from pediatric patients. Samples were collected between July and December 2009, during the pandemic outbreak of influenza A H1N1/09. Results: The sensitivity, specificity, and positive and negative predictive values obtained for the DFA were 68.97%, 76.63%, 75.47%, and 70%, respectively, while the values obtained for the immunochromatographic assay were 58.62%, 81.82%, 77.27%, and 65.22%, respectively. The frequency of the influenza A virus was 51.33%, and a total of 27 samples were positive for the pandemic influenza A H1N1/09. Conclusions: DFA and the immunochromatographic assay can be important tools for patient care during influenza season and in outbreaks as they usually provide results within 45 minutes. Furthermore, positive results in conjunction with the patient’s symptoms could provide a correct diagnosis, thus facilitating appropriate patient management. Nonetheless, the results of these assays still require confirmation by RT-PCR.
Seroprevalence of cytomegalovirus, herpes simplex virus and rubella virus among pregnant women in KPK province of Pakistan
Authors: Ali Shahid , Khan Faiz Ali , Mian Afsar Ali , Afzal Muhammad Sohail
Published: March 2014

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A current analysis of caregivers’ approaches to fever and antipyretic usage
Authors: Polat Meltem , Kara Soner , Tezer Hasan , Tapısız Anıl , Derinöz Okşan , Dolgun Anıl
Published: March 2014

Introduction: The aim of this survey was to investigate the current knowledge, attitudes, and practices of febrile children’s caregivers about fever, antipyretic usage, and temperature measurement methods in a tertiary care hospital. Methodology: A 41-item questionnaire was administered to a convenience sample of febrile children’s caregivers in face-to-face interviews by two research assistants from January 2012 through June 2012 in an urban region of Turkey. Results: A total of 1,032 caregivers completed the interview. Approximately one-third of caregivers considered a temperature of less than 37.8°C (100°F) to be a fever, and 13% of all respondents would give antipyretics for a body temperature ≤ 37.8°C. Furthermore, 76% of parents would wake their children from sleep to administer antipyretics. Although a high proportion (89.5%) of respondents believed that fever had harmful effects, 10.5% considered fever to be beneficial. Alternating use of acetaminophen and ibuprofen (44%) and giving antipyretics routinely (71%) before and after immunizations were common parental practices and generally advised by pediatricians. Parents with higher levels of education were more likely to consider fever to be beneficial and to treat fever with antipyretics, and less likely to seek medical attention for mild fever. Most caregivers stated that they were unsure about the right site (90%) and thermometer type (95%) for temperature measurement. Conclusions: Persistent fever anxiety and excessive antipyretic usage may be heightened by the lack of knowledge regarding accurate temperature measurement methods with digital thermometers in our population. Parental education may positively affect the approach to fever and antipyretic usage.
Evaluation of patients with Tularemia in Bolu province in northwestern Anatolia, Turkey
Authors: Mengeloglu Zafer , Duran Arif , Hakyemez Ismail Necati , Ocak Tarik , Kücükbayrak Abdülkadir , Karadag Mustafa , Tas Tekin , Akdeniz Hayrettin
Published: March 2014

Introduction: Tularemia is a zoonotic disease caused by Francisella tularensis. Here we present an epidemic occurring in Bolu province, located in northwestern Anatolia in Turkey, and some features of the cases. Methodology: The data was provided by the Bolu Provincial Health Directorate. All of the antibody response tests were studied in the National Health Institute (formerly named Refik Saydam Hygiene Department), the reference laboratory of the Ministry of Health of the Turkish Republic. A total of 393 individuals were tested by microagglutination test (MAT) for tularemia between 2006 and 2011. A total of 218 patients whose demographical data were available were included in the study; 83 were accepted as the patient group and 135 were the controls. Of the patients, 31 (37.3%) were male and 52 (62.7%) were female. Results: Fever (p < 0.001), URTI symptoms (p = 0.047), conjunctivitis (p = 0.004), and rash (p = 0.026) were significantly higher in the patient group. A positive association was found between MAT and fever (r = 0.324; p < 0.001), and a negative association was found between MAT and both lymphoadenopathy (r = -0.25; p = 0.013) and chills (r = -0.218; p = 0.035). Higher MAT titers were detected in oropharyngeal tularemia (r = 0.306; p = 0.003). Conclusions: In conclusion, tularemia must be considered in differential diagnosis in patients presenting with fever and LAP in non-endemic regions. Furthermore, water sources and contact with rodents must be investigated.
Human papillomaviruses in cervical specimens of women residing in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia: a hospital-based study
Authors: Al-Ahdal Mohammed N , Al-Arnous Walaa K , Bohol Marie F , Abuzaid Suhair M , Shoukri Mohamed , Elrady Kamal S , Firdous Nayyer , Aliyan Rehab , Taseer Rabia , Al-Hazzani Amal A , Al-Qahtani Ahmed A
Published: March 2014

Introduction: Certain genotypes of human papillomavirus (HPV) are linked to cervical abnormalities. HPV DNA and genotype prevalence among women residing in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia is investigated in this hospital-based study. Methodology: Cervical specimens were taken from 519 subjects along with consent and demographic data. DNA was extracted and PCR was performed on all specimens using general primers. Low- and high-risk HPV genotypes were determined by reverse blot hybridization assay using specific probes. SPSS version 17 was used for the data analysis. Results: Of 519 cervical specimens, 164 (31.6%) were positive for HPV DNA. There was a significant association between HPV positivity and abnormal cytology (p < 0.00001). Even though the HPV positivity was relatively high, the squamous intraepithelial lesions were minimal, with one low grade and one high grade case among those HPV DNA-positive specimens. Regardless of single or multiple infections per specimen, HPV-16 was found in 87.8%, followed by HPV-18 in 86%, and HPV-11 in 78.3%. Conclusions: Amplification technology showed that HPV is common among women in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, with a strong association between HPV infection and cytological changes. HPV-16 was the most frequent genotype but had a low prevalence of cervical cancer.
Foodborne illnesses in Brazil: control measures for 2014 FIFA World Cup travellers
Authors: Ritter Ana Carolina , Tondo Eduardo Cesar
Published: March 2014

Foodborne diseases are typically caused by the ingestion of food contaminated with micro-organisms or their toxins, resulting in gastrointestinal disorders and in some severe cases hospitalization and death. In Brazil, foodborne illnesses are caused mainly by Salmonella, Staphylococcus aureus and Escherichia coli. The most important contributing factors for outbreaks are exposure of foods to unsuitable temperatures, inadequate food preparation and contamination of raw material or water used to prepare food. Recently, aiming to prevent foodborne illnesses during the 2014 FIFA World Cup, Brazil has developed a risk-based evaluation tool able to assess and grade Brazilian food services in cities that will host football matches. This tool has been used by the Brazilian sanitary surveillance officers during the inspection of facilities where food services. This is considered an innovative preventative sanitary action because it was created based on scientific information, statistical calculation and on risks of foodborne diseases occurrence. In this mini-review we summarize general data, control measures and how travellers can prevent foodborne illness in Brazil during the 2014 FIFA World Cup.
SYSTEM FOR MEASURING RODENTS' VISUAL FUNCTION: DESIGN AND IMPLEMENTATION
Authors: Perez-Vidal Carlos , Garcia Alejandro , Garcia-Aracil Nicolas , Sabater Jose M. , Fernandez Eduardo
Published: March 2014

The aim of the work presented in this paper is the design, manufacturing and assembling of a system able to measure rodents' (mice and rats) visual function and to study the evolution of degenerative retina diseases. Measurement of contrast sensitivity and visual acuity is essential to design new drugs and understand mechanisms of visual development to evaluate treatments' effectiveness. Classical methods to study visual perception of animals such as electroretinogram (ERG) or histological analysis are not supplying enough information because connection between eyes and brain is not considered. The system proposed in this work consists of four screens forming a cube with black methacrylate plastic floor and roof. Screens display visual stimulus and the rodent's behaviour (placed over a platform in the middle of the cube) is analized to determine its visual acuity and contrast sensitivity. These visual stimuli are generated from a FPGA board designed in this project. This board has a USB link with a computer and it controls screens via VGA signals. Rodents' behaviour is analized using computer vision algorithms under OpenCV libraries. To test the system, more than 30 mice (C57 and RD10 type) have been used to validate the hardware, the software, the procedure and protocol.
SOI SUBSTRATE-BASED MICROFLUIDIC CHIP FOR CELL ELECTROFUSION
Authors: Zhang Xiao-Ling , Yang Zhong , Wan Xiao-Ping , Hu Ning , Zheng Xiao-Lin , Yang Jun
Published: March 2014

A microelectrode array-based cell electrofusion chip was fabricated by using the MEMS technique. Because of the short distance between two counter microelectrodes, the working voltage on this chip was only 1/100–1/20 as that in the traditional cell electrofusion method. Simulation method was used to analyze the on-chip electric field distribution and optimize the structure of the microelectrodes. The results showed the length and width of the microelectrode, and the distance between two microelectrodes in the horizontal and vertical direction would impact the strength and distribution of the electric field. Thus, optimized chip architecture was obtained, on which six individual chambers were integrated. At least 1680 microelectrodes were patterned within any one chamber. Alternating current signals have been used to manipulate and align cells, and most cells were aligned as cell–cell twins. High-intensity (~103 V/cm) electric pulses were used to fuse the aligned cell–cell twins. The fusion efficiency was about 40%, which was much higher than that in traditional chemical method (less than 1‰) and electrofusion methods (less than 5%).
URINE COLOR AUTOMATIC IDENTIFICATION DEVICE BASED ON MICROCONTROLLER FRAMEWORK AND COLOR QUANTIZATION ALGORITHM
Authors: Lu Chuan-Pin , Chuang Ming-Hui , Li Jui-Pin , Yeh Ta-Hua
Published: March 2014

Urine color is an indicator of health status, especially for patients undergoing medical intervention treatment of urinary catheterization. Urinary tract infections are the most frequently developed infections among patients receiving treatment in medical institutions. Such infections can be detected from urine color, like in the case of the purple urine bag syndrome. However, it is a difficult task for non-nursing care staff and even the nursing staff to correctly conduct naked-eye identification without proper tools. To better assist both nursing and non-nursing care staff with the detection of infection signs in urine bag patients, a urine color automatic identification device has been developed. The device is based on microcontroller framework and color quantization algorithm. A hybrid color quantization algorithm and two features were proposed to identify the urine color. The identified color, as query data instead of human-described color keyword, can be used to retrieve the information from the database and then find possible symptoms for early warning. Instead of the nursing staff, the device can automatically identify the patient's urine color. From experimental results, the device with the proposed algorithm shows its capability and feasibility of the urine color automatic identification.
DYNAMIC CONTRAST-ENHANCED MAGNETIC RESONANCE ANGIOGRAPHY OF Gd-TTDA-BOM COMPARED WITH Gd-DTPA IN NORMAL RAT AT 3T
Authors: Jao Jo-Chi , Chen Yen-Ku , Jaw Twei-Shiun , Wang Yun-Ming , Chen Po-Chou
Published: March 2014

Dynamic contrast-enhanced magnetic resonance angiography (DCE-MRA) is a good modality for the diagnosis of vascular diseases. Contrast agents that produce higher and longer enhancement in vessels are highly valued. The complex of gadolinium with (R,S)-4-carboxy-5,9,12-tris(carboxymethyl)-l-phenyl-2-oxa-5,9,12-triazatridecan-14-oic acid (Gd-TTDA-BOM) possesses a benzyloxymethyl group in the ligand TTDA-BOM with the capability of raising lipophilicity. The Gd-TTDA-BOM complex expresses higher and longer enhancement in mouse liver than that of gadolinium diethylenetriamine pentaacetic acid (Gd-DTPA) because of its faster water exchange rate, higher reorientation time, and higher lipophilicity. Phantom studies have shown that Gd-TTDA-BOM has expressed with higher affinity to human serum albumin (HSA) than Gd-DTPA. In general, these characteristics might provide an advantage for vascular imaging. To verify this in vivo, a 3T MR scanner was used to investigate the signal enhancement in the aorta of normal rats by DCE-MRA after the bolus injection of Gd-TTDA-BOM and compared this with the injection of Gd-DTPA. Gd-TTDA-BOM expressed higher and longer signal enhancement in the aorta than Gd-DTPA. These results suggest that Gd-TTDA-BOM could provide better image quality than Gd-DTPA as an enhancement agent in DCE-MRA.
Introduction
Authors: Das Anup Kumar , Chakraborty Susmita
Published: March 2014

Globalization of any profession encourages professional collaboration and cooperation at the global stage and enhances possibilities of collaborative development of professional standards, best practices, and public policies. Like many other actors in humanities, the information and knowledge communities also have been historically engaged in bridging divides between the Global North and Global South and the information rich and information poor. The intergovernmental agencies and their different stakeholders have also supported many collaborative intervening global programmes for bridging the knowledge divides or digital divides exist in the societies. Building knowledge societies in the world is a more pervasive goal in the twenty-first century for percolating maximizing benefits and overall growth of the global communities. Various global programmes supported by United Nations agencies such as Education for All (EFA), Health for All (HFA), Information All (IFA), Millennium Development Goals (MDGs), all have tangible components to be enriched by library, information, and knowledge communities. Thus, the communities involved in “international librarianship” have important roles in enriching the global citizens in local settings. This chapter introduces these ideas.
Philanthropy in Libraries
Authors: Munigal Achala , Chakraborty Susmita
Published: March 2014

Philanthropy is regarded as a voluntary private virtue for public good. Terms like Gifting, charity, fundraising, contributions, generosity, donations, aid, bequests, offerings, handouts, patronage are sometimes synonymously or interchangeably used for philanthropy. There are public, private, corporate philanthropic foundations all over the world, that work in collaboration with NGOs and other governmental organisations towards social good. Despite economic challenges faced worldwide, global philanthropy is predicted to continue its growth. In the age of declining financial assistance for libraries, un-certain economic condition, budget cuts libraries are facing a lot of economic crunch. To preserve libraries, philanthropy is most crucial and essential. Most of general public do not have multi-million dollar fortunes to donate, but this does not mean that smaller donations have less impact than larger ones. Libraries depend on various forms of giving. This paper investigates philanthropy with special reference to libraries in India.
Role of IFLA in Marketing Initiatives in Library and Information Services
Authors: Gupta Dinesh K.
Published: March 2014

Traditionally, the thrust of library and information managers was on managing in-house technical operations of the libraries without taking much consideration of the outside world. However, during the last two-three decades there have been many changes in library's overall external environment that have affected the internal environment and management of libraries and their services to a great extent. Earlier, more emphasis was on developing the libraries for the future rather than meeting the present information needs of users, but now users are more demanding; they have higher expectations from libraries, and they compare value/benefits received every time in comparison to efforts they have put into getting the desired information/information service(s)/product(s). As such, the interest of information professionals in marketing library services has been rising. Marketing can simply be defined as an approach that integrates external environment and internal environment in understanding and satisfying customer needs. In service organizations, management and marketing integrates and good service are not different from good marketing efforts. In other words, in-service set up marketing is the state of mind and management is a way forward to actions. The creation of Section on Management and Marketing in IFLA at the international level signifies such importance and integration of management and marketing in recent times. Rejean Savard (2006) describes the history of the Section and reviews its activities in the initial years. The chapter emphasizes recent activities and contributions of the IFLA Section on Management and Marketing Section in encouraging good marketing efforts in libraries the world over.
International Cooperation in the Domains of Agricultural Research and Information
Authors: Reddy Deva Eswara
Published: March 2014

This chapter stresses the importance of agricultural research and technology in feeding the growing population in developing countries. It underscores the role of research and information in advancing agricultural production and focuses on changing trends in international agricultural research and the role of the Consultative Group on International Agricultural Research (CGIAR). The chapter describes international developments in providing open access to agricultural information and literature.
Collaboration in Editorship
Authors: Marquardt Luisa , Oberg Dianne
Published: March 2014

This chapter presents a year-long collaboration by two editors, one in Italy and one in Canada, that resulted in 2011 the IFLA Publication No. 148, titled Global Perspectives on School Libraries: Projects and Practices. Supporting the work of the two editors were the members of the Joint Committee of two international school library groups, the School Libraries and Resource Centers Section of the International Association of Library Associations and Institutions (IFLA SLRC) and the International Association of School Librarianship (IASL), and the staffs of IFLA Headquarters and of IFLA’s publisher, De Gruyter Saur. The 300-page book included 30 chapters, written by 50 authors from 20 countries across 6 continents. The topics addressed in the book included: school library education and implementation models; promoting literacies through the school library; school libraries for all; expanding the reach of the school library through technology; government initiatives for school library development; and organizations for school library advocacy and development. The whole process—from designing the publication to disseminating it—is described, including some lessons learned along the way, useful for planning joint work of a similar nature. Future steps in the collaboration between the IFLA SLRC Section and IASL collaboration are introduced as well.
Content in the Cloud
Authors: Chowdhury Gobinda G.
Published: March 2014

This chapter reports on a study that aims to design the conceptual model of a Cloud-Based Green Information Service. It is noted that Green ICT can play a key role in saving the environment. It is also noted that Cloud computing facilitates the development of an economically and environmentally sustainable model for Green Information Services. However, such a model should have different layers, and some specific research and development activities are to be undertaken for each layer of the Cloud Information Service architecture.
Head Tracked Auto-Stereoscopic Displays
Authors: Surman Philip
Published: March 2014

This chapter covers the work carried out on head tracked 3-D displays in the past ten years that has been funded by the European Union. These displays are glasses-free (auto-stereoscopic) and serve several viewers who are able to move freely over a large viewing region. The amount of information that is displayed is kept to a minimum with the use of head position tracking, which allows images to be placed in the viewing field only where the viewers are situated so that redundant information is not directed to unused viewing regions. In order to put the work into perspective, a historical background and a brief description of other display types are given first.
The Cultural Landscape of Three-Dimensional Imaging
Authors: Johnston Sean F.
Published: March 2014

This chapter explores the cultural contexts in which three-dimensional imaging has been developed, disseminated, and employed. It surveys the diverse technologies and intellectual domains that have contributed to spatial imaging and argues that it is an important example of an interdisciplinary field. Over the past century-and-a-half, specialists from distinct fields have devised explanations and systems for the experience of 3-D imagery. Successive audiences have found these visual experiences compelling, adapting quickly to new technical possibilities and seeking new ones. These complementary interests, and their distinct perspectives, have co-evolved in lock-step. A driver for this evolution is visual culture, which has grown to value and demand the spectacular. As a result, professional and popular engagements with 3-D have had periods of both popularity and indifference, and cultural consensus has proven to be ephemeral.
Strategic Management of Workplace E-Learning
Authors: Caudill Jason G. , Reeves Barry
Published: March 2014

Continuing education has become a necessary component of the modern knowledge worker and, by extension, of the modern firm. Increasingly, cost effectiveness points firms to using e-learning solutions in the workplace over older, more traditional methods. This chapter explores the strategic positioning of e-learning in the workplace, the instructional design process, and different types of training that are necessary in the workplace.
Online Policy-Compliance Training in Higher Education
Authors: Hai-Jew Shalin
Published: March 2014

In higher education, compliance trainings are necessary to ensure that the diverse workforce adheres to any number of regulations. With faculty and staff who are working on multiple branch campuses and traveling for research, conference presentations, and consultations, many such trainings are often created for online delivery. Policy-compliance trainings are a sub-set of professional development trainings, and they are unique in terms of their objectives—of both raising policy-awareness and providing the skills to enable behavior change to minimize liabilities and risks from non-compliance. Very little has been written about the design and delivery of policy-compliance trainings in any work context. This chapter proposes a simplified preliminary model for the design and delivery of online policy-compliance trainings in a higher-education context; it derives insights from the limited research literature and also from common practices and trainings in online policy-compliance trainings at a university.
Teacher Professional Development
Authors: Tsai Tsung-Jui , Shih Ya-Chun
Published: March 2014

The teacher as researcher analyzed and documented his own professional development during the implementation of a program aimed at improving students’ listening abilities via exposing them to podcasts and familiarizing them with metacognitive strategies. Seventeen senior high school English as a Foreign Language (EFL) learners participated in this study, with a second teacher acting as a facilitator. Action research procedures were employed to investigate the researcher’s professional development, with the results indicating increases in both his Technological Pedagogical Content Knowledge (TPCK) and his teacher efficacy. The findings in this chapter have implications for English teachers tasked with teaching listening and for researchers studying the pedagogical applications of podcasts and metacognitive strategies.
Lessons Learned from Distance Workforce Training Applications
Authors: Chapman Benjamin , Kirby Sarah D. , Levine Katrina
Published: March 2014

North Carolina Cooperative Extension (NCCE) depends on the skill set and subject matter competency of its field faculty to deliver quality, credible education to North Carolina citizens. In order to maintain and enhance field faculty competency, NCCE uses distance technology to provide training to field faculty located in offices across the state. Although not the only method of training, distance training allows NCCE to maximize resources by reducing the cost of travel and protecting valuable professional time. This chapter’s case studies identify areas in which NCCE utilizes distance education to train employees for on-going competency development, crisis response, program development and implementation, and program evaluation.
In Plaintext
Authors: Hai-Jew Shalin
Published: March 2014

People have long gone online to groom their online identities, to communicate some aspects of themselves in the real. The information shared is purposive and strategic. Inevitably, the information is selective and incomplete. The cyber may evoke something about the physical only to a degree, in the cyber-physical confluence. In an asymmetrical information environment, those who have the most accurate and requisite information often have the advantage. It is said that much of intelligence is conducted using Open-Source Intelligence (OSINT), which suggests a need for reading between the lines of publicly released information; indeed, much of life is conducted in online public spaces. A number of tools enable the extraction and analysis of information from public sites. When used in combination, these tools may create a fairly clear sense of the online presences of various individuals or organizations or networks online for increased transparency. This chapter describes some of the tools (Maltego Radium™ and Network Overview, Discovery, and Exploration for Excel/NodeXL™) that may be used to increase the knowability of others in the creation of various profiles. This includes some light applications of “inference attacks” based on publicly available information. Further information may be captured from the Hidden Web through tools designed to crawl that understructure, and this potential is addressed a little as well.
Iff and Other Conditionals
Authors: Hai-Jew Shalin
Published: March 2014

For the past several years, a new form of online learning has emerged, which has captured the popular imagination, and with it, plenty of support from private universities, angel investors, and foundations. Massive Open Online Courses (MOOCs) are a scaled-up version of online learning, albeit on open socio-technical platforms, which enable digital content organization, learner interactivity, computer-based assessments, and peer assessments, as well as back-end “big data” data mining of learner behaviors. MOOCs are being discussed as for-credit university courses, supplementary professional development trainings, and informal and nonformal learning opportunities. They are considered not only for adult learners but also for high schoolers and even potentially for younger age groups. For all the hopefulness that many masses around the world will have access to high-level and well designed college courses, the emergence of MOOCs has sparked a range of forecasts. Some predict that MOOCs will socialize learners around the world to a common academic culture and unleash human potential. Some predict that MOOCs are a threat to the existing higher education status quo. Others suggest that MOOCs have been overly hyped and are an unworkable passing fad. To gain a sense of the attitudes towards MOOCs and their feasibility, a modified electronic Delphi (e-Delphi) study was conducted using the Qualtrics™ survey platform (aka K-State Survey). This chapter describes the processes of setting up the modified e-Delphi study. It describes the extensive literature review undertaken for the development of the survey instrument. The writing describes the major findings from this qualitative and mixed-methods research based on both manual and NVivo-based data analysis. There is a focus on issues that may need to be addressed individually and collectively in order to rollout successful MOOCs.
Big Data Computing and the Reference Architecture
Authors: Nirmala M. Baby , Raj Pethuru
Published: March 2014

Earlier, the transactional and operational data were maintained in tables and stored in relational databases. They have formal structures and schemas. However, the recent production and flow of multi-structured data has inspired many to ponder about the new ways and means of capturing, collecting, and stocking. E-mails, PDF files, social blogs, musings, tweets, still photographs, videos, office documents, phone call records, sensor readings, medical electronics, smart grids, avionics data, real-time chats, and other varieties of data play a greater role in presenting highly accurate and actionable, timely insights for executives and decision-makers. The chapter provides an insight into the big data phenomenon, its usability and utility for businesses, the latest developments in this impactful concept, and the reference architecture.
The Compute Infrastructures for Big Data Analytics
Authors: Raj Pethuru
Published: March 2014

The implications of the digitization process among a bevy of trends are definitely many and memorable. One is the abnormal growth in data generation, gathering, and storage due to a steady increase in the number of data sources, structures, scopes, sizes, and speeds. In this chapter, the author shows some of the impactful developments brewing in the IT space, how the tremendous amount of data getting produced and processed all over the world impacts the IT and business domains, how next-generation IT infrastructures are accordingly getting refactored, remedied, and readied for the impending big data-induced challenges, how likely the move of the big data analytics discipline towards fulfilling the digital universe requirements of extracting and extrapolating actionable insights for the knowledge-parched is, and finally, the establishment and sustenance of the dreamt smarter planet.