bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
FUEGO — Fire Urgency Estimator in Geosynchronous Orbit — A Proposed Early-Warning Fire Detection System
Authors: Pennypacker Carlton , Jakubowski Marek , Kelly Maggi , Lampton Michael , Schmidt Christopher , Stephens Scott , Tripp Robert
Published: October 2013

Current and planned wildfire detection systems are impressive but lack both sensitivity and rapid response times. A small telescope with modern detectors and significant computing capacity in geosynchronous orbit can detect small (12 m2) fires on the surface of the earth, cover most of the western United States (under conditions of moderately clear skies) every few minutes or so, and attain very good signal-to-noise ratio against Poisson fluctuations in a second. Hence, these favorable statistical significances have initiated a study of how such a satellite could operate and reject the large number of expected systematic false alarms from a number of sources. Here we present both studies of the backgrounds in Geostationary Operational Environmental Satellites (GOES) 15 data and studies that probe the sensitivity of a fire detection satellite in geosynchronous orbit. We suggest a number of algorithms that can help reduce false alarms, and show efficacy on a few. Early detection and response would be of true value in the United States and other nations, as wildland fires continue to severely stress resource managers, policy makers, and the public, particularly in the western US. Here, we propose the framework for a geosynchronous satellite with modern imaging detectors, software, and algorithms able to detect heat from early and small fires, and yield minute-scale detection times.
Acoustic Emission Source Location Using a Distributed Feedback Fiber Laser Rosette
Authors: Huang Wenzhu , Zhang Wentao , Li Fang
Published: October 2013

This paper proposes an approach for acoustic emission (AE) source localization in a large marble stone using distributed feedback (DFB) fiber lasers. The aim of this study is to detect damage in structures such as those found in civil applications. The directional sensitivity of DFB fiber laser is investigated by calculating location coefficient using a method of digital signal analysis. In this, autocorrelation is used to extract the location coefficient from the periodic AE signal and wavelet packet energy is calculated to get the location coefficient of a burst AE source. Normalization is processed to eliminate the influence of distance and intensity of AE source. Then a new location algorithm based on the location coefficient is presented and tested to determine the location of AE source using a Delta (Δ) DFB fiber laser rosette configuration. The advantage of the proposed algorithm over the traditional methods based on fiber Bragg Grating (FBG) include the capability of: having higher strain resolution for AE detection and taking into account two different types of AE source for location.
Highly Sensitive Refractive Index Sensor Based on Adiabatically Tapered Microfiber Long Period Gratings
Authors: Ji Wen , Tjin Swee , Lin Bo , Ng Choong
Published: October 2013

We demonstrate a refractive index sensor based on a long period grating (LPG) inscribed in a special photosensitive microfiber with double-clad profile. The fiber is tapered gradually enough to ensure the adiabaticity of the fiber taper. In other words, the resulting insertion loss is sufficiently small. The boron and germanium co-doped inner cladding makes it suitable for inscribing gratings into its tapered form. The manner of wavelength shift for refractive indices (RIs) differs from conventional LPG, and the refractive index detection limit is 1.67 × 10−5.
Economic Analysis of Climate Variability Impact on Malaria Prevalence: The Case of Ghana
Authors: Akpalu Wisdom , Codjoe Samuel
Published: October 2013

A number of studies exist on the relationship between climatic factors and malaria prevalence. However, due to scarcity of data, most of the studies are based on biophysical experiments and do not control for socioeconomic covariates. This research, which uses data on Ghana, contributes to the thin literature that addresses this limitation. We found that humidity and rainfall predict malaria prevalence. Furthermore, our results suggest that malaria prevalence increases with rainfall, the proportion of middle income households, and the proportion of households with no formal education. The corresponding elasticity coefficients are 0.67, 0.12 and 0.66, respectively. Significant differences in the prevalence rate have also been observed across regions.
Stormwater Tank Performance: Design and Management Criteria for Capture Tanks Using a Continuous Simulation and a Semi-Probabilistic Analytical Approach
Authors: De Paola Francesco , De Martino Flavio
Published: October 2013

Stormwater tank performance significantly depends on management practices. This paper proposes a procedure to assess tank efficiency in terms of volume and pollutant concentration using four different capture tank management protocols. The comparison of the efficiency results reveals that, as expected, a combined bypass—stormwater tank system achieves better results than a tank alone. The management practices tested for the tank-only systems provide notably different efficiency results. The practice of immediately emptying after the end of the event exhibits significant levels of efficiency and operational advantages. All other configurations exhibit either significant operational problems or very low performances. The continuous simulation and semi-probabilistic approach for the best tank management practice are compared. The semi-probabilistic approach is based on a Weibull probabilistic model of the main characteristics of the rainfall process. Following this approach, efficiency indexes were established. The comparison with continuous simulations shows the reliability of the probabilistic approach even if this last is certainly very site sensitive.
Expérimentation d’une offre de garde face aux horaires de travail atypiques et flexibles
Authors: Campéon Arnaud , Le Bihan Blanche , Martin Claude , Gardin Guillaume
Published: October 2013

Definition of a care offering for unusual and flexible working hours.

Unusual working hours are increasingly prevalent in most European Union countries. However, the variable and irregular nature of such working hours, compared to traditional lifestyles, amplifies the difficulties of structuring family and professional life, as conventional care offerings cannot meet the needs of parents who work early in the morning, late at night or weekends. This article reports on research conducted by the CNAF on the issue of unusual working hours and focuses on the study of four innovative approaches (in their experimental stage) which develop a home care offer before and after conventional custody services operate. The authors offer some considerations on the concept of «unusual or flexible working hours » , the ensuing care requirements and «care arrangements » , as a combination of formal and informal resources applied by families.
Le développement social local [Points de vue de directeurs de CAF]
Authors: André Michèle , Arnaud Chantal , Bourcier Françoise , Bouzou Marie-Claude , Ducarroz Bernard , François Hervé , Grard Luc , Loisel Yves , Meyssin Brigitte , Soureillat Jean-Pierre
Published: October 2013

Dans le cadre de ce numéro de Recherches et Prévisions, il a été demandé à des directeurs de caisses d’Allocations familiales (CAF) de répondre, à partir de l’expérience de leur organisme, à trois questions clés concernant la mise en oeuvre du développement social local (DSL) : « Quels sont les prérequis et les limites du DSL ? » ; « Quels sont les effets du DSL sur les CAF et leurs partenaires ? » ; « Quels sont les effets du DSL sur les populations et les territoires » ? On remercie ici les directeurs et les directrices qui ont accepté de participer à cet exercice.
Aux origines de la notion rhétorique d'èthos
Authors: Woerther Frédérique
Published: October 2013

Used today by researchers in Pragmatics and Discourse Analysis, ethos is a notion whose content and definition are far from being clearly fixed. In spite of their differences, the reflections devoted to ethos by the specialists invariably present the same common trait : as witnessed by the borrowing of the greek term ήθος (transliterated ethos) used in the Rhetoric, and as indicated by the numerous explicit citations to that treatise, these modern works proclaim the heritage of Aristotle.

The result of work devoted to the concept of ethos in Aristotle's Rhetoric, this article aims to reinstate this notion into the linguistic, philosophic, political, and cultural context of its elaboration. In thus revealing the proper values attached to the use of this term in greek literature and language in general, and in the work of Aristotle in particular, this study looks to show that the genesis of rhetorical ethos is inseparable from a specific context that the Moderns too often tend to ignore. This article indicates as well that ambiguities in certain passages of the Rhetoric do not allow an unequivocal interpretation of the manner in which ethos, as a means of persuasion, manifests concretely in a discourse.
The Effects of Noise Reduction Technologies on the Acceptance of Background Noise
Authors: Lowery Kristy Jones , Plyler Patrick N.
Published: October 2013

Background:Directional microphones (D-Mics) and digital noise reduction (DNR) algorithms are used in hearing aids to reduce the negative effects of background noise on performance. Directional microphones attenuate sounds arriving from anywhere other than the front of the listener
while DNR attenuates sounds with physical characteristics of noise. Although both noise reduction technologies are currently available in hearing aids, it is unclear if the use of these technologies in isolation or together affects acceptance of noise and/or preference for the end user when
used in various types of background noise.Purpose:The purpose of the research was to determine the effects of D-Mic, DNR, or the combination of D-Mic and DNR on acceptance of noise and preference when listening in various types of background noise.Research Design:An experimental
study in which subjects were exposed to a repeated measures design was utilized.Study Sample:Thirty adult listeners with mild sloping to moderately severe sensorineural hearing loss participated (mean age 67 yr).Data Collection and Analysis:Acceptable noise levels (ANLs) were
obtained using no noise reduction technologies, D-Mic only, DNR only, and the combination of the two technologies (Combo) for three different background noises (single-talker speech, speech-shaped noise, and multitalker babble) for each listener. In addition, preference rankings of the noise
reduction technologies were obtained within each background noise (1 = best, 3 = worst).Results:ANL values were significantly better for each noise reduction technology than baseline; and benefit increased significantly from DNR to D-Mic to Combo. Listeners with higher (worse) baseline
ANLs received more benefit from noise reduction technologies than listeners with lower (better) baseline ANLs. Neither ANL values nor ANL benefit values were significantly affected by background noise type; however, ANL benefit with D-Mic and Combo was similar when speech-like noise was present
while ANL benefit was greatest for Combo when speech spectrum noise was present. Listeners preferred the hearing aid settings that resulted in the best ANL value.Conclusion:Noise reduction technologies improved ANL for each noise type, and the amount of improvement was related to the
baseline ANL value. Improving an ANL with noise reduction technologies is noticeable to listeners, at least when examined in this laboratory setting, and listeners prefer noise reduction technologies that improved their ability to accept noise.
Measuring the Long-Term SNRs of Static and Adaptive Compression Amplification Techniques for Speech in Noise
Authors: Lai Ying-Hui , Li Pei-Chun , Tsai Kuen-Shian , Chu Woei-Chyn , Young Shuenn-Tsong
Published: October 2013

Background:Multichannel wide-dynamic-range compression (WDRC) is a widely adopted amplification scheme in modern digital hearing aids. It attempts to provide individuals with loudness recruitment with superior speech intelligibility and greater listening comfort over a wider
range of input levels. However, recent surveys have shown that compression processing (operating in the nonlinear regime) usually reduces the long-term signal-to-noise ratio (SNR).Purpose:The purpose of this study was to determine the long-term SNR in an adaptive compression-ratio (CR)
amplification scheme called adaptive wide-dynamic-range compression (AWDRC), and to determine whether this concept is better than static WDRC amplification at improving the long-term SNR for speech in noise.Design and Study Sample:AWDRC uses the input short-term dynamic range to adjust
the CR to maximize audibility and comfort. Various methods for evaluating the long-term SNR were used to observe the relationship between the CR and output SNR performance in AWDRC for seven typical audiograms, and to compare the results with those for static WDRC amplification.Results:The
results showed that the variation of the CR in AWDRC amplification can maintain the comfort and audibility of the output sound. In addition, the average long-term SNR improved by 0.1‐5.5 dB for a flat hearing loss, by 0.2‐3.4 dB for a reverse sloping hearing loss, by 1.4‐4.8
dB for a high-frequency hearing loss, and by 0.3‐5.7 dB for a mild-to-moderate-sloping high-frequency hearing loss relative to static WDRC amplification. The output long-term SNR differed significantly (p < .001) between static WDRC and AWDRC amplification.Conclusions:The
results of this study show that AWDRC, which uses the characteristics of the input signal to adaptively adjust the CR, provides better long-term SNR performance than static WDRC amplification.
Evaluation of Speech Recognition of Cochlear Implant Recipients Using a Personal Digital Adaptive Radio Frequency System
Authors: Wolfe Jace , Morais Mila , Schafer Erin , Mills Emily , Mülder Hans E. , Goldbeck Felix , Marquis Francois , John Andrew , Hudson Mary , Peters B. Robert , Lianos Leslie
Published: October 2013

Background:Previous research supports the use of frequency modulation (FM) systems for improving speech recognition in noise of individuals with cochlear implants (CIs). However, at this time, there is no published research on the potential speech recognition benefit of new digital
adaptive wireless radio transmission systems.Purpose:The goal of this study was to compare speech recognition in quiet and in noise of CI recipients while using traditional, fixed-gain analog FM systems, adaptive analog FM systems, and adaptive digital wireless radio frequency transmission
systems.Research Design:A three-way repeated-measures design was used to examine performance differences among devices, among speech recognition conditions in quiet and in increasing levels of background noise, and between users of Advanced Bionics and Cochlear CIs.Study Sample:Seventeen
users of Advanced Bionics Harmony CI sound processors and 20 users of Cochlear Nucleus 5 sound processors were included in the study.Data Collection and Analysis:Participants were tested in a total of 32 speech-recognition-in noise-test conditions, which included one no-FM and three
device conditions (fixed-gain FM, adaptive FM, and adaptive digital) at the following signal levels: 64 dBA speech (at the location of the participant) in quiet and 64 dBA speech with competing noise at 50, 55, 60, 65, 70, 75, and 80 dBA noise levels.Results:No significant differences
were detected between the users of Advanced Bionics and Cochlear CIs. All of the radio frequency system conditions (i.e., fixed-gain FM, adaptive FM, and adaptive digital) outperformed the no-FM conditions in test situations with competing noise. Specifically, in conditions with 70, 75, and
80 dBA of competing noise, the adaptive digital system provided better performance than the fixed-gain and adaptive FM systems. The adaptive FM system did provide better performance than the fixed-gain FM system at 70 and 75 dBA of competing noise. At the lower noise levels of 50, 55, 60,
and 65 dBA, no significant differences were detected across the three systems, and no significant differences were found across the quiet conditions. In all conditions, performance became poorer as the competing noise level increased.Conclusions:In high levels of noise, the adaptive
digital system provides superior performance when compared to adaptive analog FM and fixed-gain FM systems.
Comment monter en gamme pour une PMI ou un territoire ?
Authors: Puzo Joseph
Published: October 2013

Joseph Puzo a transformé Habia, obscur producteur de fils et câbles de Montmirail, en un groupe international de solutions avancées d’interconnectique. Il a opté pour une stratégie de montée en gamme permanente. Quelle est sa méthode et est-elle transposable ?
L'édition à la page numérique : le cas Versilio peut-il faire modèle ?
Authors: Anthony Léonard
Published: October 2013

Versilio, fondée en 2008 comme éditeur numérique, travaille avec des partenaires pour les versions papier afin de se concentrer sur les enjeux créatifs et de communication. Elle a l’envergure d’une grande maison en ne publiant qu’une quinzaine de titres par an...
Osciller entre succès et échec : la trajectoire d'une start-up innovante
Authors: Golden Boris
Published: October 2013

L’aventure de Pealk, qui a développé une application web à succès et s’est fait racheter par Viadeo, montre que la frontière entre succès et échec reste souvent ambiguë et incertaine. Ce qui ne signifie pas qu’il soit impossible d’en tirer des leçons.
Contenance, enveloppe psychique et parentalité interne soignante
Authors: Ciccone Albert
Published: October 2013

Les notions de contenance et de transformation dérivent et témoignent d’une mutation dans la représentation du soin psychique. Elles s’appliquent aux contextes de soin comme au travail de la parentalité. Elles ont conduit à l’émergence et au développement de la notion d’enveloppe psychique (ou de peau psychique, de Moi-peau). Elles supposent le travail des processus d’identification projective et la conception d’une spatialité du monde interne. Un point de vue historique sur toutes ces notions est développé. Puis est proposée la notion de partage d’affect comme condition au travail de contenance et de transformation, et qui suppose la centration du travail clinique sur l’intersubjectivité. Toutes ces notions reviennent à définir une position parentale interne soignante. Celle-ci s’appuie sur la bisexualité psychique, qui dans ses formes primaires est nommée ici bisensualité. La parentalité interne prend la forme d’une biparentalité psychique qui articule aspects maternels et aspects paternels. La parentalité soignante suppose aussi une articulation harmonieuse des aspects adultes et infantiles du soi, formant la bigénérationnalité psychique. Toutes ces qualités ou caractéristiques s’appliquent autant au parent, au soignant qu’au groupe ou à l’institution de soin, qui chacun déploie (ou échoue à le faire) une parentalité soignante.
De la sphère primitive à l'espace triangulaire
Authors: Bonelli Frank
Published: October 2013

L’auteur illustre, à partir des extraits de deux traitements psychanalytiques avec des enfants autistes, comment l’émergence des premières représentations d’une conscience de séparation, assimilée à la rencontre avec un tiers persécuteur, provoque des angoisses existentielles et menace la constitution même de la « contenance-peau ». L’auteur suggère par ailleurs l’existence d’un mécanisme de clivage dans l’autisme qui coupe le registre des “mises en formes corporelles” de celui de la “pensée émotionnelle”. Ce clivage, qui vise à évacuer toute représentation d’affects de la position dépressive, est associé chez l’enfant à la représentation d’un couple parental combiné qui prive l’enfant de tout sentiment d’identité propre. Sa réduction repose sur un travail d’unification sensorielle et émotionnelle qui s’appuie dans le transfert sur la qualité binoculaire de l’attention psychique de l’analyste, fonction tierce permettant la formation d’un espace triangulaire nécessaire pour consolider l’introjection de la « contenance-peau ».
Au-delà de l'enveloppe familiale : les thématiques qui se font jour dans le travail thérapeutique auprès d'enfants en famille d'accueil
Authors: Wakelyn Jenifer
Published: October 2013

L’article decrit le travail thérapeutique auprès d’enfants dont les liens familiaux se sont effondrés et dont s’occupent des parents d’accueil. Une recherche sur l’observation thérapeutique d’un bébé en famille d’accueil a identifié des modes de fonctionnement organisés par le traumatisme (« Tornade », « Machine » et « Limbes ») dans lesquels le contact avec la réalité affective risque d’être perdu, et un mode de fonctionnement organise par le développement (‘Matrice’) qui facilite le focus sur l’enfant et son rapport avec les parents d’accueil. Un service thérapeutique spécialisé pour les enfants en charge est décrit : le cas de Sam, âge de 4 ans, illustre la ‘psychothérapie transitionelle’ et explore le rôle du fonctionnement ‘Matrice’ dans un travail ‘au-delà de l’enveloppe familiale’.
L'espace, le cadre et les limites
Authors: Namer Albert
Published: October 2013

L’auteur aborde le thème des limites que l’analyste se trouve obligé d’imposer de façon à permettre le déroulement du processus analytique, de le préserver ou de le remettre en marche. Le terme est questionné dans son adéquation pour définir les mouvements violents dans le cadre d’analyses ou de psychothérapies d’enfants et de jeunes adolescents. Dans une vision élargie l’article aborde l’espace et ses frontières, la contenance et le champ psychanalytique. L’accent est mis aussi sur les cadres internes, autant celui du thérapeute que celui du patient. À travers plusieurs exemples cliniques sont illustrés la dynamique des mouvements transféro-contre-transférentiels, ainsi que les moments pertinents pour les interventions interprétatives que le psychothérapeute peut formuler.
La psychopédagogie face aux adolescents ascolaires. Quand la psychopédagogie s'appuie sur la mythologie
Authors: Boimare Serge
Published: October 2013

Un groupe de cinq adolescents, tous en échec scolaire, est réuni pour des séances de psychopédagogie. Une observation fine de leurs réactions à des exercices de lecture, de commentaire de textes et d’écriture permet de relever leur besoin de lutter contre toute activité de pensée qui réveille en eux des angoisses massives. La psychopédagogie proposée se décline en trois temps : un nourrissage culturel grâce à l’écoute de la lecture d’un texte, un entraînement à discuter en groupe sur le thème de la lecture entendue, pour apprendre à argumenter en respectant la parole de l’autre, un entraînement à écrire sur ce qui a émergé du débat pour développer sa propre capacité à penser.
Du rapport au savoir des enseignants
Authors: Blanchard-Laville Claudine
Published: October 2013

Cet article présente un bref aperçu de l’histoire de la notion de rapport au savoir considérée dans son acception clinique et de son usage en sciences de l’éducation. Puis est présentée l’articulation de cette notion avec celle de lien C proposée par W. R. Bion. Sont ensuite indiquées deux voies de recherche qui s’appuient en partie sur cette notion de rapport au savoir pour analyser les ressorts psychiques de la pratique enseignante : l’une a conduit l’auteur à théoriser ce qu’il en est du lien d’enseignement en situation de classe au plan psychique, l’autre ouvre sur les effets possibles d’un travail d’élaboration en groupe que les enseignants peuvent réaliser en explorant des moments de leur métier vécus comme éprouvants.
De la cognition incarnée à la cognition partagée dans les thérapies d'enfants
Authors: Ouss Lisa
Published: October 2013

Traditionnellement opposées l’une à l’autre, la cognition et l’approche psycho-dynamique doivent être réintégrées dans une perspective complémentaire. La notion de « cognition incarnée » ( embodied cognition ) insiste sur les racines corporelles de l’activité de l’esprit et sur l’interaction entre un agent et un environnement comme condition de l’émergence du sens. Elle assure un pont entre affectivité et cognition. Dans les déficiences cognitives, l’auteur propose de distinguer l’équipement, la fonction et le fonctionnement de la fonction. L’analyse de chacun de ces niveaux renvoie à des interventions thérapeutiques différentes : remédiation, thérapie cognitive, thérapie psycho-dynamique. Une telle analyse est particulièrement importante dans le traitement des patients cérébrolésés.
Pathologies cognitivo-intellectuelles chez l'enfant
Authors: Gibello Bernard
Published: October 2013

L’auteur décrit les différents types de déficiences cognitives que l’on trouve dans l’enfance, dont certaines ont une origine organique, d’autres une origine psychologiques, d’autres encore une origine mixte. Parmi ces déficiences, il distingue le « syndrome de dysharmonie cognitive pathologique » caractérisé par une asynchronie du développement, et le « syndrome de retard d’organisation cognitive » caractérisé par un contraste entre un niveau intellectuel normal et une organisation cognitive retardée. L’étiologie de ces syndromes associe probablement des facteurs constitutionnels et des facteurs d’environnement qui perturbent non seulement le développement cognitif mais aussi la vie fantasmatique.
Educational environment of nursing undergraduates in University of Ruhuna: effect of gender
Authors: Chandana N G A S S , Hettiarachchi M
Published: October 2013

A considerable increase in male admission into the nursing profession demands a better understanding of gender influences on nursing education and practice. This research explores how male and female nursing students perceive the new educational environment created by the curriculum introduced for B.Sc. Nursing Degree programme in the University of Ruhuna. Prospective study using the already validated Dundee Ready Education Environment (DREEM) questionnaire was administered to all B. Sc. Nursing undergraduates enrolled in academic years 2008/9 (first batch) and 2009/10 (second batch), respectively. The DREEM questionnaire, consists of 50 items each having a scoring range of 0-4 Likert type scale, was completed by 55 nursing students. Mean±SD DREEM scores were 112.0±15.6 and 106.90±1.54 for the male and female nursing undergraduates (p=0.22), respectively, indicating relative satisfaction with the perceived environment. The academic self-perceptions of male undergraduates fall more towards the positive side (mean score of 19.50±2.27) and that of females (mean score of 17.16±3.52; p=0.005) fall towards the negative side. The social self-perception of females of the first batch of nursing students was significantly low (mean score =13.65) when compared with that of females of the second batch of students (mean score =15.40; p=0.02). The male students of the second batch were having overall higher perception (mean score of 118.2) when compared with females of the same batch (mean score of 107.8; p=0.06). This study identifies the issues pertaining to the perception of learning and academic self-perception in the nursing programme. Further, use of DREEM as a monitoring tool would be useful to re-evaluate the environment for appropriate intervention.DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.4038/jur.v1i1.6155 Journal of the University of Ruhuna 2013 1(1): 11-16
IL-13 Immunotoxin Accelerates Resolution of Lung Pathological Changes Triggered by Silica Particles in Mice
Authors: Ferreira Tatiana Paula T. , de Arantes Ana Carolina S. , do Nascimento Caio Victor M. F. , Olsen Priscilla C. , Trentin Patrícia G. , Rocco Patricia R. M. , Hogaboam Cory M. , Puri Raj K. , Martins Marco Aurélio , Silva Patrícia Machado Rodrigues e
Published: October 2013

Instillation of silica into the lungs of rodents results in pathological changes that strongly mimic human silicosis, an occupational lung disease marked by restrictive airway obstruction, inflammation, and fibrosis. Because IL-13 is a pivotal proinflammatory and fibrogenic cytokine, we examined whether a recombinant immunotoxin comprised of human IL-13 and a mutated form of Pseudomonas exotoxin (IL-13–PE) might affect pathological features of experimental silicosis. Mice received a single intranasal instillation of silica particles and were treated with intranasal IL-13–PE every other day from days 21 to 27 postsilica. The sensitivity of putative cell targets to IL-13–PE was also assessed in in vitro settings. Upregulation of IL-13, its receptor subunits IL-13Rα1 and IL-13Rα2, and shared receptor IL-4Rα were associated with development of granulomatous lung inflammation triggered by silica. IL-13–PE inhibited silica-induced granuloma and fibrotic responses noted at 24 h and 15 d after the last treatment. Upregulation of TNF-α, TGF-β, and chemokines, as well as increased collagen deposition and airway hyperreactivity to methacholine were all clearly sensitive to IL-13–PE. In addition, IL-13–PE inhibited both IL-13–induced proliferation of cultured lung fibroblasts from silicotic mice and silica-induced IL-8 generation from A549 cells. In conclusion, our findings show that therapeutic treatment with IL-13–PE can reverse important pathological features caused by inhalation of silica particles, suggesting that this recombinant immunotoxin is a promising molecular template in drug discovery for the treatment of silicosis.
Use of Checklist Prevents Errors during Surgeries
Authors: Kumar Jatin , Sud Akash
Published: October 2013

‘Hospitals do most of the right things, on most patients, most of the time.

The checklist helps them to do all the right things, on all patients, all the time.’

According to International Patient Safety Goal-4 (IPSG-4), the hospitals need to ensure the correct patient, correct site, correct procedure and correct surgery. WHO launched Safe Surgery Saves Lives program in 2009 to reduce the number of surgical deaths across the globe. In the complex setting of an operating room, any of the steps may be overlooked during the fast-paced preoperative, intraoperative, or postoperative preparations. So a customized checklist was introduced after sensitization and training of all OT users to reinforce accepted safety practices and foster better communication and team work between clinical disciplines. The aim of the checklist is to reduce the number of errors during surgery and to reduce postoperative complications. The use of the checklist reduced the rate of deaths and complications by more than one-third. The rate of major inpatient complications dropped from 11 to 7%, and the inpatient death rate following major operations fell from 1.5 to 0.8% after implementation of the checklist. Audit tool printed at the backside of the checklist is analyzed every month, to observe the shortcomings.

How to cite this article

Kumar J, Sud A. Use of Checklist Prevents Errors during Surgeries. Int J Res Foundation Hosp Healthc Adm 2013;1(1):25-28.
Moving West or Going South?: Economic Transformation and Institutionalization in Postcommunist Party Systems
Authors: Bernhard Michael , Karakoç Ekrem
Published: October 2013

Patterns of party system institutionalization have varied widely across regions. In postcommunist democracies, weak party system institutionalization exists at high levels along three dimensions—volatility of representation, party extinction, and incumbency disadvantage—despite
sustained economic growth. In these cases, the effects of economic restructuring are critical to electoral outcomes. A sample of democratic elections from 1990 to 2006 shows that postcommunist countries whose reform strategies minimize increases in inequality have more institutionalized party
systems.
A novel hybrid approach for the extraction of linear/cylindrical features from laser scanning data
Authors: Lari Z. , Habib A.
Published: October 2013

Abstract. However, the collected point cloud should undergo manipulation approaches to be utilized for diverse civil, industrial, and military applications. Different processing techniques have consequently been implemented for the extraction of low-level features from this data. Linear/cylindrical features are among the most important primitives that could be extracted from laser scanning data, especially those collected in industrial sites and urban areas. This paper presents a novel approach for the identification, parameterization, and segmentation of these features in a laser point cloud. In the first step of the proposed approach, the points which belong to linear/cylindrical features are detected and their appropriate representation models are chosen based on the principal component analysis of their local neighborhood. The approximate direction and position parameters of the identified linear/cylindrical features are then refined using an iterative line/cylinder fitting procedure. A parameter-domain segmentation method is finally applied to isolate the points which belong to individual linear/cylindrical features in direction and position attribute spaces, respectively. Experimental results from real datasets will demonstrate the feasibility of the proposed approach for the extraction of linear/cylindrical features from laser scanning data.
Detection of lying tree stems from airborne laser scanning data using a line template matching algorithm
Authors: Lindberg E. , Hollaus M. , Mücke W. , Fransson J. E. S. , Pfeifer N.
Published: October 2013

Abstract. Dead wood is an important habitat characteristic in forests. However, dead wood lying on the ground below a canopy is difficult to detect from remotely sensed data. Data from airborne laser scanning include measurement of surfaces below the canopy, thus offering the potential to model objects on the ground. This paper describes a new line template matching algorithm for detecting lines along the ground. The line template matching is done directly to the laser point cloud and results in a raster showing the support of the line in each raster cell. Line elements are vectorized based on the raster to represent lying tree stems. The results have been validated versus field-measured lying tree stems. The number of detected lines was 845, of which 268 could be automatically linked to the 651 field-measured stems. The line template matching produced a raster which visually showed linear elements in areas where lying tree stems where present, but the result is difficult to compare with the field measurements due to positioning errors. The study area contained big piles of storm-felled trees in some places, which made it an unusually complex test site. Longer line structures such as ditches and roads also resulted in detected lines and further analysis is needed to avoid this, for example by specifically detecting longer lines and removing them.
SITEGI Project: Applying Geotechnologies to Road Inspection. Sensor Integration and software processing
Authors: Martínez-Sánchez J. , Nogueira M. , González-Jorge H. , Solla M. , Arias P.
Published: October 2013

Abstract. Infrastructure management represents a critical economic milestone. The current decision-making process in infrastructure rehabilitation is essentially based on qualitative parameters obtained from visual inspections and subject to the ability of technicians. In order to increase both efficiency and productivity in infrastructure management, this work addresses the integration of different instrumentation and sensors in a mobile mapping vehicle. This vehicle allows the continuous recording of quantitative data suitable for roadside inspection. The geometric integration and synchronization of these sensors is achieved through hardware and/or software strategies that permit the georeferencing of the data obtained with each sensor. In addition, a visualization software for simpler data management was implemented using Qt framework, PCL library and C++. As a result, the developed system supports the decision-making in road inspection, providing quantitative information suitable for sophisticated analysis systems.
Nitrogen concentration estimation with hyperspectral LiDAR
Authors: Nevalainen O. , Hakala T. , Suomalainen J. , Kaasalainen S.
Published: October 2013

Abstract. Agricultural lands have strong impact on global carbon dynamics and nitrogen availability. Monitoring changes in agricultural lands require more efficient and accurate methods. The first prototype of a full waveform hyperspectral Light Detection and Ranging (LiDAR) instrument has been developed at the Finnish Geodetic Institute (FGI). The instrument efficiently combines the benefits of passive and active remote sensing sensors. It is able to produce 3D point clouds with spectral information included for every point which offers great potential in the field of remote sensing of environment. This study investigates the performance of the hyperspectral LiDAR instrument in nitrogen estimation. The investigation was conducted by finding vegetation indices sensitive to nitrogen concentration using hyperspectral LiDAR data and validating their performance in nitrogen estimation. The nitrogen estimation was performed by calculating 28 published vegetation indices to ten oat samples grown in different fertilization conditions. Reference data was acquired by laboratory nitrogen concentration analysis. The performance of the indices in nitrogen estimation was determined by linear regression and leave-one-out cross-validation. The results indicate that the hyperspectral LiDAR instrument holds a good capability to estimate plant biochemical parameters such as nitrogen concentration. The instrument holds much potential in various environmental applications and provides a significant improvement to the remote sensing of environment.
Automated detection of repeated structures in building facades
Authors: Previtali M. , Scaioni M. , Barazzetti L. , Brumana R. , Roncoroni F.
Published: October 2013

Abstract. Automatic identification of high-level repeated structures in 3D point clouds of building façades is crucial for applications like digitalization and building modelling. Indeed, in many architectural styles building façades are governed by arrangements of objects into repeated patterns. In particular, façades are generally designed as the repetition of some few basic objects organized into interlaced and\\or concatenated grid structures. Starting from this key observation, this paper presents an algorithm for Repeated Structure Detection (RSD) in 3D point clouds of building façades. The presented methodology consists of three main phases. First, in the point cloud segmentation stage (i) the building façade is decomposed into planar patches which are classified by means of some weak prior knowledge of urban buildings formulated in a classification tree. Secondly (ii), in the element clustering phase detected patches are grouped together by means of a similarity function and pairwise transformations between patches are computed. Eventually (iii), in the structure regularity estimation step the parameters of repeated grid patterns are calculated by using a Least- Squares optimization. Workability of the presented approach is tested using some real data from urban scenes.
Accurate registration of MMS point clouds of urban areas using trajectory
Authors: Takai S. , Date H. , Kanai S. , Niina Y. , Oda K. , Ikeda T.
Published: October 2013

Abstract. Recently, by Mobile Mapping System (MMS) with laser scanners, a GPS and IMU (Inertial Measurement Unit), 3D point clouds of urban areas (MMS point clouds) are easily acquired. When the same areas are scanned several times by the MMS, the point clouds often have differences in the range of several hundreds of millimetres. Such differences are caused by inertial drifts of IMU and losses of GPS signals in urban areas. In this paper, we propose an automatic accurate registration method of MMS point clouds using a new variant of ICP (Iterative Closest Point) algorithm for MMS point clouds and trajectory modification. Our method consists of four steps. Firstly, some trajectory points are automatically extracted by analyzing the trajectory. Secondly, the differences of point clouds are derived at the extracted trajectory points in the overlapping scan region by our new ICP algorithm which minimizes pointto- plane and point-to-point distances simultaneously and filters incorrect correspondences based on a point classification by PCA (Principle Component Analysis). Thirdly, the modified positions and rotation parameters at all extracted trajectory points are derived by a least squares method for positioning and registration constraints. Finally, each point in the point clouds is modified by coordinate transformations which are derived from linear interpolation of the modified positions and rotation parameters of the extracted trajectory points. Our method was applied to MMS point clouds and trajectory and the performances were evaluated.
Performance testing of 3D point cloud software
Authors: Varela-González M. , González-Jorge H. , Riveiro B. , Arias P.
Published: October 2013

Abstract. LiDAR systems are being used widely in recent years for many applications in the engineering field: civil engineering, cultural heritage, mining, industry and environmental engineering. One of the most important limitations of this technology is the large computational requirements involved in data processing, especially for large mobile LiDAR datasets. Several software solutions for data managing are available in the market, including open source suites, however, users often unknown methodologies to verify their performance properly. In this work a methodology for LiDAR software performance testing is presented and four different suites are studied: QT Modeler, VR Mesh, AutoCAD 3D Civil and the Point Cloud Library running in software developed at the University of Vigo (SITEGI). The software based on the Point Cloud Library shows better results in the loading time of the point clouds and CPU usage. However, it is not as strong as commercial suites in working set and commit size tests.
Enhanced detection of 3D individual trees in forested areas using airborne full-waveform LiDAR data by combining normalized cuts with spatial density clustering
Authors: Yao W. , Krzystek P. , Heurich M.
Published: October 2013

Abstract. A detailed understanding of the spatial distribution of forest understory is important but difficult. LiDAR remote sensing has been developing as a promising additional instrument to the conventional field work towards automated forest inventory. Unfortunately, understory (up to 50% of the top-tree height) in mixed and multilayered forests is often ignored due to a difficult observation scenario and limitation of the tree detection algorithm. Currently, the full-waveform (FWF) LiDAR with high penetration ability against overstory crowns can give us new hope to resolve the forest understory. Former approach based on 3D segmentation confirmed that the tree detection rates in both middle and lower forest layers are still low. Therefore, detecting sub-dominant and suppressed trees cannot be regarded as fully solved. In this work, we aim to improve the performance of the FWF laser scanner for the mapping of forest understory. The paper is to develop an enhanced methodology for detecting 3D individual trees by partitioning point clouds of airborne LiDAR. After extracting 3D coordinates of the laser beam echoes, the pulse intensity and width by waveform decomposition, the newly developed approach resolves 3D single trees are by an integrated approach, which delineates tree crowns by applying normalized cuts segmentation to the graph structure of local dense modes in point clouds constructed by mean shift clustering. In the context of our strategy, the mean shift clusters approximate primitives of (sub) single trees in LiDAR data and allow to define more significant features to reflect geometric and reflectional characteristics towards the single tree level. The developed methodology can be regarded as an object-based point cloud analysis approach for tree detection and is applied to datasets captured with the Riegl LMS-Q560 laser scanner at a point density of 25 points/m2 in the Bavarian Forest National Park, Germany, respectively under leaf-on and leaf-off conditions. The experiments lead to a detection rate of up to 67% for trees in the middle height layer and up to 53% for trees in the lower forest layer. It corresponds to an overall improvement in the detection rate of nearly 25% for forest understory compared to that obtained by the former method by extracting individual trees using normalized cuts segmentation solely.
Facade Reconstruction with Generalized 2.5d Grids
Authors: Demantke J. , Vallet B. , Paparoditis N.
Published: October 2013

Abstract. Reconstructing fine facade geometry from MMS lidar data remains a challenge: In addition to being inherently sparse, the point cloud provided by a single street point of view is necessarily incomplete. We propose a simple framework to estimate the facade surface with a deformable 2.5d grid. Computations are performed in a "sensor-oriented" coordinate system that maximizes consistency with the data. the algorithm allows to retrieve the facade geometry without priori knowledge. It can thus be automatically applied to a large amount of data in spite of the variability of encountered architectural forms. The 2.5d image structure of the output makes it compatible with storage and real-time constraints of immersive navigation.
Multi-Layer Visualization of Mobile Mapping Data
Authors: Eggert D. , Sester M.
Published: October 2013

Abstract. application various different visualization schemes are conceivable. This paper presents a multi-layer based visualization method, enabling fast data browsing of mobile mapping data. In contrast to systems like Google Street View the proposed visualization does not base on 360° panoramas, but on colored point clouds projected on partially translucent images. Those images are rendered as overlapping textures, preserving the depth of the recorded data and still enabling fast rendering on any kind of platform. Furthermore the proposed visualization allows the user to inspect the mobile mapping data in a panoramic fashion with an immersive depth illusion using the parallax scrolling technic.