bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Evaluation of tyrosinase expression in canine and equine melanocytic tumors
Authors: Phillips Jeffrey C. , Lembcke Luis M. , Noltenius Christina E. , Newman Shelley J. , Blackford James T. , Grosenbaugh Deborah A. , Leard A. Timothy
Published: January 2012

Objective—To determine the tissue-restricted expression pattern of tyrosinase mRNA in canine and equine melanocytic tumors and relative tyrosinase and major histocompatibility complex (MHC) I mRNA expression in variants of melanocytic tumors.

Sample—39 canine and 8 equine tumor samples and 10 canine and 6 equine normal tissue samples.

Procedures—RNA was isolated from formalin-fixed, paraffin-embedded tissues. Real-time PCR assays were designed to amplify canine and equine tyrosinase, S18 ribosomal RNA, and major histocompatibility complex I transcripts. Relative expression was determined by use of S18 as a reference and comparison with pigmented and nonpigmented normal tissues.

Results—High tyrosinase expression was found in all melanocytic tumors, compared with normal tissues, and expression had no correlation with presence or absence of tumor pigmentation. No significant difference in tyrosinase expression was found among histologic variants of melanocytic tumors. No correlation was found between MHC I and tyrosinase expression or tissue histologic classification.

Conclusions and Clinical Relevance—In the present study, the methods used were highly sensitive and specific for detection of tyrosinase expression in equine and canine tumors, and overexpression of this transcript in melanomas was detected. This suggested that a DNA vaccine developed for use in dogs with melanoma that targets tyrosinase may be considered for use in other affected species, such as horses.
Bioavailability and pharmacokinetics of oral and injectable formulations of methadone after intravenous, oral, and intragastric administration in horses
Authors: Linardi Renata L. , Stokes Ashley M. , Keowen Michael L. , Barker Steven A. , Hosgood Giselle L. , Short Charles R.
Published: January 2012

Objective—To characterize the bioavailability and pharmacokinetics of oral and injectable formulations of methadone after IV, oral, and intragastric administration in horses.

Animals—6 healthy adult horses.

Procedures—Horses received single doses (each 0.15 mg/kg) of an oral formulation of methadone hydrochloride orally or intragastrically or an injectable formulation of the drug orally, intragastrically, or IV (5 experimental treatments/horse; 2-week washout period between each experimental treatment). A blood sample was collected from each horse before and at predetermined time points over a 360-minute period after each administration of the drug to determine serum drug concentration by use of gas chromatography–mass spectrometry analysis and to estimate pharmacokinetic parameters by use of a noncompartmental model. Horses were monitored for adverse effects.

Results—In treated horses, serum methadone concentrations were equivalent to or higher than the effective concentration range reported for humans, without induction of adverse effects. Oral pharmacokinetics in horses included a short half-life (approx 1 hour), high total body clearance corrected for bioavailability (5 to 8 mL/min/kg), and small apparent volume of distribution corrected for bioavailability (0.6 to 0.9 L/kg). The bioavailability of methadone administered orally was approximately 3 times that associated with intragastric administration.

Conclusions and Clinical Relevance—Absorption of methadone in the small intestine in horses appeared to be limited owing to the low bioavailability after intragastric administration. Better understanding of drug disposition, including absorption, could lead to a more appropriate choice of administration route that would enhance analgesia and minimize adverse effects in horses.
Effect of scaffold dilution on migration of mesenchymal stem cells from fibrin hydrogels
Authors: Hale Benjamin W. , Goodrich Laurie R. , Frisbie David D. , McIlwraith C. Wayne , Kisiday John D.
Published: January 2012

Objective—To evaluate the effect of fibrin concentrations on mesenchymal stem cell (MSC) migration out of autologous and commercial fibrin hydrogels.

Sample—Blood and bone marrow from six 2- to 4-year-old horses.

Procedures—Autologous fibrinogen was precipitated from plasma and solubilized into a concentrated solution. Mesenchymal stem cells were resuspended in fibrinogen solutions containing 100%, 75%, 50%, and 25% of the fibrinogen precipitate solution. Fibrin hydrogels were created by mixing the fibrinogen solutions with MSCs and thrombin on tissue culture plates. After incubation for 24 hours in cell culture medium, the MSCs that had migrated onto the tissue culture surface and beyond the boundary of the hydrogels were counted. This procedure was repeated with a commercial fibrin sealant.

Results—Hydrogel-to-surface MSC migration was detected for all fibrin hydrogels. Migration from the 25% autologous hydrogels was 7.3-, 5.2-, and 4.6-fold higher than migration from 100%, 75%, and 50% autologous hydrogels, respectively. The number of migrating cells from 100%, 75%, and 50% autologous hydrogels did not differ significantly. With commercial fibrin sealant, the highest magnitude of migration was from the 25% hydrogels, and it was 26-fold higher than migration from 100% hydrogels. The 75% and 50% hydrogels resulted in migration that was 9.5- and 4.2-fold higher than migration from the 100% hydrogels, respectively.

Conclusions and Clinical Relevance—MSC migration from fibrin hydrogels increased with dilution of the fibrinogen component for both autologous and commercial sources. These data supported the feasibility of using diluted fibrin hydrogels for rapid delivery of MSCs to the surface of damaged tissues.
Hydrothermal synthesis of momordica-like CuO nanostructures using egg white and their characterisation
Authors: Zou Yun-Ling , Li Yan , Li Jian-Gang , Xie Wan-Jie
Published: January 2012

In this paper, we report on the preparation of momordica-like CuO nanostructures by the hydrothermal method using freshly extracted egg white protein (ovalbumin) in an aqueous medium. These momordica-like CuO nanostructures were characterised by X-ray diffraction (XRD) and field-emission scanning electron microscopy (FE-SEM). XRD patterns showed that these nanostructures had a polycrystalline nature with a monoclinic structure. FE-SEM images indicated that the momordica-like CuO nanostructures obtained at 180°C for 15 h were composed of CuO nanorods with a length of less than 100 nm and a width ranging from 30 nm to 50 nm. Finally, a possible growth mechanism for the momordica-like CuO nanostructures is proposed and discussed.
Experimental Analysis of the Reynolds Flocking Model*
Authors: Eversham J.D. , Ruiz V.F.
Published: January 2012

The classic Reynolds flocking model is formally analysed, with results presented and discussed. Flocking behaviour was investigated through the development of two measurements of flocking, flock area and polarisation, with a view to applying the findings to robotic applications. Experiments varying the flocking simulation parameters individually and simultaneously provide new insight into the control of flock behaviour.
Parking Demand and Zoning Requirements for Suburban Multifamily Housing
Authors: Willson Richard , Roberts Michael
Published: January 2012

Parking requirements for suburban multifamily housing should be based on solid data and clear policy logic. This paper reports on a comparison of three data sources for estimating residential parking demand: (a) overnight field counts, (b) household surveys of residents, and (c) household vehicle availability data drawn from the American Community Survey (ACS). The area of study is the Inland Empire subregion of Southern California. The parking demand implied by the ACS data is similar to field counts and household surveys. This similarity makes the ACS data a useful source of supplemental data for understanding local parking demand. The analysis confirms the positive relationship between household income and parking demand, and it supports rate structures based on the number of bedrooms in the unit. Comparison of field counts with ordinance requirements reveals that required parking exceeded demand by a modest degree for the projects studied, even when parking is free. Many policy choices are embedded in traditional requirements, such as the use of parking pricing, treatment of visitor parking, use of on-street parking resources, and rules on tandem parking. The paper proposes that local governments generate additional data on parking demand to calibrate their ordinance requirements better. A sequence of policy considerations is suggested for translating demand data to minimum parking requirements.
Who Really Pays for a Parking Space?
Authors: Jung Owen
Published: January 2012

Many large North American cities impose minimum parking space requirements on multifamily residential developments. Concern has arisen, however, that the high cost to provide these spaces raises housing prices in such complexes. Because no well-developed, formal market for parking spaces exists, this study attempted to estimate the implicit price of aboveground or underground parking spaces for condominiums located in central Edmonton, Alberta, Canada. Through the use of two real estate data sets, this study employed the hedonic method and tested for the presence of heteroskedasticity and for spatial autocorrelation when possible. Overall, the results suggested that consumers of bundled parking spaces received a large discount on such spaces. If the retail price were increased to include additional parking spaces, the higher price would not fully reflect the cost to provide such spaces. The affordability of housing might be adversely affected nonetheless. Developers, who are likely to be burdened by some of this indirect parking subsidy, may ultimately provide less housing to the market, which will lead to a higher market-clearing price. This study provided further empirical evidence to support the argument against the imposition of minimum parking space requirements. The requirements are likely to cause an oversupply of parking at multifamily residential developments.
Problem of Transshipment in Travel Forecasting
Authors: Melendez William J. , Horowitz Alan J.
Published: January 2012

The concept of the transshipment of goods has not been widely incorporated into models for transportation planning. A model with transshipment should recognize that a whole shipment could be transported in two or more stages involving intermediate points (transshipment points) between the origin and the final destination. The database containing data from the Ontario, Canada, Commercial Vehicle Survey is one of the few databases that contains substantial transshipment information. The analysis of the Ontario Commercial Vehicle Survey first focused on commodities and their origin–destination facilities and defined terminals and warehouses as possible transshipment locations. Analysis revealed that any commodity was likely to be transshipped through either a truck terminal or a warehouse. Eight tour structures could be ascertained from the database, with each structure differing in the order and number of transshipment points and previous customers. A choice model of those tour structures was built. Factors such as commodity type, origin–destination facility type, truck type, distance, and shipment size were significant, depending on the structure.
Evaluating the Impacts of Unconventional outside Left-Turn Lane Design on Traffic Operations at Signalized Intersections
Authors: Liu Pan , Wan Jingjing , Wang Wei , Li Zhibin
Published: January 2012

This study evaluated the operational impacts of an unconventional outside left-turn lane design used at some signalized intersections in China. Using traffic data collected from 10 approaches to five signalized intersections where both traditional inside and unconventional outside left-turn lanes are installed, the research team compared turning speeds and saturation flow rates for left-turning vehicles from inside and outside left-turn lanes. The team found that vehicles turning from outside left-turn lanes had relatively higher turning speeds than those turning from inside left-turn lanes. The differences in speed were statistically significant for both passenger cars and heavy vehicles. However, the higher speeds did not result in higher left-turn lane capacity. Unconventional outside left-turn lanes provided slightly lower, but generally comparable, left-turn saturation flow rate when compared with traditional inside left-turn lanes. The differences in discharge headways from inside and outside left-turn lanes were not statistically significant. A binary logit model was developed to quantify the impacts of various factors on the probability of a driver selecting the outside left-turn lane to make a left turn. The chance of a left-turning driver choosing the outside left-turn lane would increase with an increase in the traffic volume of the major street and the queue length in the inside left-turn lane and would decrease with an increase in the distance from the upstream right-side side street to the signalized intersection. Drivers of heavy vehicles and those from upstream right-side side streets were more likely to select outside left-turn lanes.
Modeling of Travel Time Variations on Urban Links in London
Authors: Hasan Samiul , Choudhury Charisma F. , Ben-Akiva Moshe E. , Emmonds Andy
Published: January 2012

An econometric framework was developed to combine data from various sources to identify the key factors contributing to travel time variations in Central London. Nonlinear latent variable regression models that explicitly accounted for measurement errors in the data were developed to combine data extracted from automatic number plate recognition cameras and automatic traffic counters. This procedure significantly differed from previous research in this area that was based primarily on traffic flow data and ignored measurement errors. The results indicate that nonlinear latent variable regression models can effectively explain travel time variations on a regular day by using variables related to vehicle type, traffic density, and traffic composition. Test results indicate that the proposed framework for correcting measurement errors yields significant improvements over base models, where such errors are ignored. The findings from the study validate some key hypotheses regarding influences of various factors on speed of urban traffic streams and can serve as a tool for investigation of the causes of traffic congestion. The model framework is general enough for application in other cases in which traffic data have similar measurement errors.
Comparing Heavy Vehicle and Passenger Car Lane-Changing Maneuvers on Arterial Roads and Freeways
Authors: Aghabayk Kayvan , Moridpour Sara , Young William , Sarvi Majid , Wang Yi-Bing
Published: January 2012

The behavior of drivers of heavy vehicles when making a decision or executing a lane-changing maneuver on arterial roads and freeways is investigated. Vehicle lane-changing maneuvers often result in instability in traffic flow. The impact on traffic flow of lane changes by heavy vehicles can be even more serious than that of lane changes by passenger vehicles because of vehicle characteristics and driver behavior. This impact is being exacerbated because the number of heavy vehicles and their share in the traffic steam are increasing. Models of lane-changing behavior were reviewed. It was found that the lane-changing maneuver of heavy vehicles has not received appropriate attention. Real-world data were applied to a comparison of this behavior with the behavior of passenger car drivers. The behavior of drivers is explored for both arterial roads and freeways considering the impact of the size of vehicles on the lane-changing maneuver. The results indicate that the type and size of vehicles influence the lane-changing maneuver, in particular on arterial roads. A new area of study is opened for investigating the microscopic behavior of heavy vehicles in a traffic steam with more detail and leads toward a model that incorporates the characteristics of heavy vehicles.
Development of Extreme Value Distribution Method for Estimation of Expressway Capacity
Authors: Sun Zhe , Yang Chao
Published: January 2012

Although the concept of road capacity remains open to debate, randomness is a well-known feature of capacity. Previous attempts to estimate capacity have met difficulties in validation and application. A new empiric capacity estimation method that uses extreme value distribution (EVD) was developed. The EVD method has been widely applied to meteorological science for many years, especially to precipitation and flood prediction. Results of this study show that the EVD method can provide a clear and intuitive approach to capacity estimation with empirical data.
Empirical Study of Impact of Icy Roadway Surface Condition on Driver Car-Following Behavior
Authors: Park Sangjun , Rakha Hesham , Alfelor Roemer , Yang C. Y. David , Krechmer Daniel
Published: January 2012

Research was done to quantify the impact of icy roadway conditions on driver car-following behavior. The data used in the study were gathered by a group of researchers at Japan's Hokkaido University in a controlled environment under dry and icy roadway conditions. The data were used to calibrate the Van Aerde steady-state car-following model, along with vehicle acceleration and deceleration constraints. The impact of icy roadway conditions on five driver-specific car-following parameters [driver perception–reaction time (PRT), free-flow or desired speed, speed-at-capacity, capacity, and jam density] was conducted with one-way analysis of variance and Kruskal–Wallis tests. The results demonstrate that icy roadway conditions produce statistically significant differences at a 5% significance level. Specifically, icy roadway conditions reduce the mean free-flow speed, speed at capacity, and capacity by 28%, 13%, and 46%, respectively, compared with driving on dry roadways. The mean PRT for icy conditions is found to take 13% longer than driving under dry conditions. The longer PRTs can be attributed to drivers driving at lower speeds and larger spacing on icy surfaces compared with dry conditions.
Effect of Salinity on the Oxygen Consumption of Tilapia Fingerlings
Authors: Awal Md Abdul , Kuri Kartik Chandra , Sarker Subrata
Published: January 2012

Fingerlings of tilapia were used to compare the oxygen consumption rates at 0, 10, 20 and 30 ppt salinity. Oxygen consumption of tilapia at 0, 10, 20 and 30 ppt salinity was found 2.14, 0.71, 1.43 and 1.42 ml/liter/h respectively. Oxygen consumption rate thereafter decreased with increasing salinity, although the lowest consumption occurred at 10 ppt. Lower consumption at high salinities might be a result of reduced activity, which in itself was salinitymodulated. The fish in this study were in or near a resting state, and that differences in oxygen consumption rates probably were related to the energetic cost of ionic and osmotic regulation. Again, mechanism in the fill tissue might involve significant energy-consuming processes in different water salinities compared to fresh water.Keywords: Fingerlings; water salinities; Ionic regulation; osmic regulationsDOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.3329/diujst.v7i1.9581  Daffodil International University Journal of Science and Technology Vol.7(1) 2012 12-14
Isolates Application of Multi-Functional Finishes on Denim Garments
Authors: Vijayalakshmi D , Ramachandran T
Published: January 2012

The main aim of this research is to apply the functional finishes to denim garments to enhance the value of the garment. The fabric selected for the research is 100% cotton with the construction of 2/1 Right Hand Twill. The selected fabric was made into garments (A-line frock) and subjected to de-sizing and enzyme washing and then the garments were treated with two different synthetic scents sweet citrus and rose oils to induce fragrance. The garments were also tested for the efficacy of anti-microbial, antifungal, UV protection, stain repellency and mosquito repellency finishes. The results have proven very good sense of functional finishes on to the garments in conjunction with a sweet fragrance. Two different methods – dip dry and micro encapsulation methods were chosen for the study and the fastness property of the finishes were compared. The treated garments were evaluated using AATCC standards. Keywords: fragrance finish; anti-microbial finish; anti-fungal finish; A-line frock; enzyme washing.   DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.3329/diujst.v7i1.9649   Daffodil International University Journal of Science and Technology Vol.7(1) 2012 59-66
Planning Dhaka as a Global City: A Critical Discourse
Authors: Kalam AKM Abul
Published: January 2012

Cities and city regions are practically observed to be the engines of economic growth in the age of globalization. Cities and their regions thus diversely play important roles in national and international contexts. City provides opportunities for economic growth and development and quality life for its population and services to its outside areas, sometimes exceeding the national boundaries. Globalization has, however, created both opportunities and threats for the survival of cities. To become an active partner in the process of globalization, cities with their regional economic strengths require preparing them with their potentials and removing weaknesses. As a capital city, Dhaka has potentials for becoming a global city with its geopolitical location and economic prospects. It has political and administrative advantages in the national context and scope for utilizing the benefits of urban economics, especially agglomerations, concentration of labor and financial institutions, and business services. The physical growth of the city is, however, associated with many-faceted problems which has to be addressed in its planning and development processes in order to bring functional efficiency of a modern city. The city must be developed in a planned manner to benefit from global market and international investment. The research recommends that Dhaka and its city region should overcome the current weaknesses to utilize its full potential to attract businesses and investments in the future. Dhaka’s physical development and economic growth management must be considered together in order to becoming a global city playing dynamic role in the global market in future.DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.3329/jbip.v2i0.9552Journal of Bangladesh Institute of Planners Vol. 2, December 2009, pp. 1-12
Regional Connectivity: Opportunities for Bangladesh to be a Transport Hub
Authors: Rahmatullah M
Published: January 2012

In a globalized economy, transport cost being a significant determinant of competitiveness, it makes integrated and efficient transport network an essential element of the enabling environment. The integrated transport infrastructure, which South Asia inherited from the British, got fractured initially by the partition of India, and subsequently by its political aftermath and now needs to be rebuilt within the context of greater political harmony in South Asia. Such integration is especially crucial to countries such as Nepal and Bhutan and the regions such as North East India, as this could serve to end their landlocked or semi-isolated status and provide shorter transport and transit access to sea ports. To establish a case for regional transport connectivity in South Asia, an analysis was made of the impact of noncooperation in transport. An assessment was also made of the unique geographical location of Bangladesh having two landlocked countries, such as Nepal and Bhutan and one semilandlocked territory, North East India at the hinterland, and the opportunities this situation provides to Bangladesh. Based on SAARC Regional Multimodal Transport Study (SRMTS) findings, an attempt was made to identify a few strategic routes which could be pursued to provide transport connectivities among the countries of North East Sub-region of South Asia. An indication is made in this paper on the possible benefits that Bangladesh and the other neighboring countries could derive from the regional transport connectivities when established, to show that it would be a win-win situation for all. Finally, the study concludes that the cost of non-cooperation being very high, it would be beneficial for all the concerned countries to go for regional transport connectivity at the earliest. It was, however pointed out that issues related to regional connectivity and transit cannot be resolved in isolation. It needs to be considered together with other unresolved issues, in the areas of water sharing, environment, marine boundary, etc. What is needed for a long lasting solution is the political will and commitment of the leaders of South Asia, who should sit together with an open mind to resolve various issues once for all.DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.3329/jbip.v2i0.9553  Journal of Bangladesh Institute of Planners Vol. 2, December 2009, pp. 13-29
Strengthening Financial Capability of a Municipality: A Case Study of Dhaka City Corporation
Authors: Samad Rokshana Binta
Published: January 2012

The universal complaint that the Urban Local Bodies (ULBs) i.e. City Corporations and Municipalities (Pourashavas in Bangladesh) in developing countries are in dire need of resources not only for investment to meet the increasing demand of growing urban population but also for maintenance of the existing services. Municipal finance in Bangladesh has so far not been extensively studied. For this research, Dhaka City Corporation (DCC) has been chosen for a case study. The research has investigated on how the financial capability of City Corporation can be strengthened. Investigation was made on various sources of revenue, existing state of tax base, and various problems pertaining to income and expenditure of Dhaka City Corporation. The study has explored potential sources of financing and made some suggestions to enhance local initiatives in strengthening financial capability.DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.3329/jbip.v2i0.9574Journal of Bangladesh Institute of Planners Vol. 2, December 2009, pp. 136-144
Atomic Pairwise Distribution Function Analysis of the Amorphous Phase Prepared by Different Manufacturing Routes
Authors: Boetker Johan P. , Koradia Vishal , Rades Thomas , Rantanen Jukka , Savolainen Marja
Published: January 2012

Amlodipine besilate, a calcium channel antagonist, exists in several solid forms. Processing of anhydrate and dihydrate forms of this drug may lead to solid state changes, and is therefore the focus of this study. Milling was performed for the anhydrate form, whereas the dihydrate form was subjected to quench cooling thereby creating an amorphous form of the drug from both starting materials. The milled and quench cooled samples were, together with the crystalline starting materials, analyzed with X-ray powder diffraction (XRPD), Raman spectroscopy and atomic pair-wise distribution function (PDF) analysis of the XRPD pattern. When compared to XRPD and Raman spectroscopy, the PDF analysis was superior in displaying the difference between the amorphous samples prepared by milling and quench cooling approaches of the two starting materials.
Relevance and Benefits of Urban Water Reuse in Tourist Areas
Authors: Lazarova Valentina , Sturny Vincent , Sang Gaston Tong
Published: January 2012

Urban water reuse is one of the most rapidly growing water reuse applications worldwide and one of the major elements of the sustainable management of urban water cycle. Because of the high probability of direct contact between consumers and recycled water, many technical and regulatory challenges have to be overcome in order to minimize health risks at affordable cost. This paper illustrates the keys to success of one of the first urban water reuse projects in the island Bora Bora, French Polynesia. Special emphasis is given on the reliability of operation of the membrane tertiary treatment, economic viability in terms of pricing of recycled water and operating costs, as well as on the benefits of water reuse for the sustainable development of tourist areas.
Substrate-mediated effects in photothermal patterning of alkanethiol self-assembled monolayers with microfocused continuous-wave lasers
Authors: Schröter Anja , Kalus Mark , Hartmann Nils
Published: January 2012

In recent years, self-assembled monolayers (SAMs) have been demonstrated to provide promising new approaches to nonlinear laser processing. Most notably, because of their ultrathin nature, indirect excitation mechanisms can be exploited in order to fabricate subwavelength structures. In photothermal processing, for example, microfocused lasers are used to locally heat the substrate surface and initiate desorption or decomposition of the coating. Because of the strongly temperature-dependent desorption kinetics, the overall process is highly nonlinear in the applied laser power. For this reason, subwavelength patterning is feasible employing ordinary continuous-wave lasers. The lateral resolution, generally, depends on both the type of the organic monolayer and the nature of the substrate. In previous studies we reported on photothermal patterning of distinct types of SAMs on Si supports. In this contribution, a systematic study on the impact of the substrate is presented. Alkanethiol SAMs on Au-coated glass and silicon substrates were patterned by using a microfocused laser beam at a wavelength of 532 nm. Temperature calculations and thermokinetic simulations were carried out in order to clarify the processes that determine the performance of the patterning technique. Because of the strongly temperature-dependent thermal conductivity of Si, surface-temperature profiles on Au/Si substrates are very narrow ensuring a particularly high lateral resolution. At a 1/e spot diameter of 2 µm, fabrication of subwavelength structures with diameters of 300–400 nm is feasible. Rapid heat dissipation, though, requires high laser powers. In contrast, patterning of SAMs on Au/glass substrates is strongly affected by the largely distinct heat conduction within the Au film and in the glass support. This results in broad surface temperature profiles. Hence, minimum structure sizes are larger when compared with respective values on Au/Si substrates. The required laser powers, though, are more than one order of magnitude lower. Also, the laser power needed for patterning decreases with decreasing Au layer thickness. These results demonstrate the impact of the substrate on the overall patterning process and provide new perspectives in photothermal laser patterning of ultrathin organic coatings.
Cobertura y desamparo: garantías jurídicas de los españoles en el Perú (1870-1945)
Authors: Sala i Vila Núria
Published: January 2012

Los fondos de Prefectura del Ministerio de Relaciones Exteriores del Perú son un mirador para reconstruir la amplia casuística legal en la que se verán inmersos españoles residentes en las distintas regiones del país —bienes de difuntos intestados o sin familia en el Perú, conflictos políticos, problemas legales, fueran penales o de litigio en razón de sus actividades comerciales…— o de las gestiones de las autoridades consulares en solicitud de amparo ante decisiones de prefectos o subprefectos consideradas lesivas a sus connacionales. Se analiza el entramado legal que protegía a los españoles en el Perú, para comprender tanto los mecanismos de integración en el país, como aquellos que les llevaron a mantener la nacionalidad española, aún cuando hubieran tejido amplios intereses familiares y de negocios.
Exhibition Session of the exp.atâ??11 International Conference
Authors: Restivo Teresa , Cardoso Alberto
Published: January 2012

Man has been the humanityâ??s engineer for ages - human knowledge has been continuously built on conceptualization based on constant learning by doing activities. The observation and understanding of concepts and principles in action are the bases of the experimental activity leading to the correlation between reality and theory.

Experimental activities are really important, contributing to prepare the future engineers for solving practical problems and for consolidating theoretical understanding and volatile knowledge based on abstract concepts.

Therefore, experimental activity has been an essential part of education and training for engineers and engineering scientists.

exp.atâ??11 (the 1st Experiment@ International Conference) has been the first event of a new International Conference Experiment@ series devoted to online experimentation, enlarging the world capabilities in this particular area and contributing to collaborative work in emergent technologies, bringing together engineers, researchers and professionals from different areas. In its Exhibition Session, participants demonstrated their systems within developments of educational, medical and industrial applications.
CADrx for GBM Brain Tumors
Authors: Huo Jing , Brown Matthew S. , Okada Kazunori
Published: January 2012

The goal of this chapter is to describe a Computer-Aided Therapeutic Response Assessment (CADrx) system for early prediction of drug treatment response for Glioblastoma Multiforme (GBM) brain tumors with Diffusion Weighted (DW) MR images. In conventional Macdonald assessment, tumor response is assessed nine weeks or more post-treatment. However, this chapter will investigate the ability of DW-MRI to assess response earlier, at five weeks post treatment. The Apparent Diffusion Coefficient (ADC) map, calculated from DW images, has been shown to reveal changes in the tumor’s microenvironment preceding morphologic tumor changes. ADC values in treated brain tumors could theoretically both increase due to the cell kill (and thus reduce cell density) and decrease due to inhibition of edema. In this chapter, the authors investigate the effectiveness of features that quantify changes from pre- and post-treatment tumor ADC histograms to detect treatment response. There are three parts in this technique: First, tumor regions were segmented on T1w contrast enhanced images by Otsu’s thresholding method and mapped from T1w images onto ADC images by a 3D Region of Interest (ROI) mapping tool. Second, ADC histograms of the tumor region were extracted from both pre- and five weeks post-treatment scans and fitted by a two-component Gaussian Mixture Models (GMM). The GMM features as well as standard histogram-based features were extracted. Finally, supervised machine learning techniques were applied for classification of responders or non-responders. The approach was evaluated with a dataset of 85 patients with GBM under chemotherapy, in which 39 responded and 46 did not, based on tumor volume reduction. The authors compared adaBoost, random forest, and support vector machine classification algorithms, using ten-fold cross validation, resulting in the best accuracy of 69.41% and the corresponding area under the curve (Az) of 0.70.
E-Gov and Transparency in NJ Counties
Authors: Mohammed-Spigner Deborah , Bromberg Daniel , Fudge Marc , Coleman Neil
Published: January 2012

This chapter presents research on transparency in county government. It is argued that through the use of information and communication technologies, citizens can gain more access to government, hence keeping government more accountable. The research demonstrates that counties are utilizing information and communication technologies to increase transparency in a range of modes. That being said, the use of such technologies continues to remain in its infancy at the county-government level.
Measuring and Improving Information-Based Government Websites
Authors: Wesley Laura
Published: January 2012

This chapter presents a flexible framework for measuring efficiency, effectiveness, and citizen satisfaction with public sector websites. The framework uses research methods that measure the extent to which online information advances organizational objectives, reaches its target audience, and meets users’ expectations for service and quality. By gathering and reporting on this information, public sector website performance can be continuously improved. The framework is presented in a format that facilitates its evaluation. The design, implementation, and use of the performance measurement framework are described in detail by presenting logic models that describe possible activities and expected outcomes of each phase.
Managing Interactional Performance in E-Government
Authors: Simon Françoise
Published: January 2012

Currently, citizen-users show a noticeable preference for in-person communication, over Internet-based delivery channels. As a result, governmental agencies still face high numbers of contacts via more traditional service channels such as phone and desk. This chapter deals with the issue of interactional performance in public e-service delivery. It offers a conceptual framework built on the literature of media choice and the theory of perceived justice. As such, it examines the interplay of service complexity, media richness, and social cues on individual media preferences. In addition, it presents key factors which lead citizen-users to the perception of a sense of equity through electronic communication. Finally, this chapter concludes by highlighting a number of possible directions for future action.
Social Media Corporate Policies for Government Organizations
Authors: Al Shair Al Suwaidi Salem , Elbadawi Ibrahim Ahmed
Published: January 2012

As government organizations increasingly recognize the fast growth and expanding influence of social media tools such as social networking sites, blogs, and wikis, they start involving in these tools to increase the value delivered to their citizens. Many government organizations have realized the importance of having corporate policies to guide them while involving in these social media tools. The main purpose of this chapter is to present the key lessons learnt from the process of formulating a government-wide social media policy in the United Arab Emirates. This covers how government officials perceive the adoption of social media by government entities, the main barriers face successful adoption of social media, and the key issues need to be covered by social media policies. The authors analyze the collected answers in light of some of the literature available on the topic. They conclude the chapter with a brief summary and recommendations for future research directions.
Application of Soft-Computing Methods in Cellular Manufacturing
Authors: Dan Pranab K. , Ghosh Tamal , Sengupta Sourav
Published: January 2012

The essential problem in Cellular Manufacturing System (CMS) is to identify the machine cells and subsequent part families with an aim to curtail the intercell and intracell traffic, known as Cell Formation Problem (CFP). This chapter portrays the need of soft-computing methods to model the CFP to attain enhanced solutions. The novelty of this chapter is in developing a hybrid state-of-the-art metaheuristic approach, namely SAHCF (Simulated Annealing Heuristic to Cell Formation), to solve the binary CFP, and further, a Fuzzy-ART based hybrid technique is framed to solve the generalized CFP using operational time. The proposed techniques are tested on the test datasets published in the past literature. Both the techniques are shown to outperform the published methods available in literature and attained enhanced results by exceeding the solution quality on the test problems. The originality of this study lies in designing simple and efficient methodologies to produce near optimal solutions for the shop-floor managers with minimum computing abilities and time.
Application of Particle Swarm Optimization for Achieving Desired Surface Roughness in Tungsten-Copper Alloy Machining
Authors: Gaitonde V. N. , Karnik S. R. , Davim J. Paulo
Published: January 2012

The tungsten-copper electrodes are used in the manufacture of die steel and tungsten carbide workpieces due to high thermal and electrical conductivity of copper, spark erosion resistance, low thermal expansion coefficient, better arc-resistance, non-welding, and high melting temperature of tungsten. Since a tungsten-copper electrode is more expensive than traditional electrodes; there is a need to study the machinability aspects, especially the surface roughness of turned components, which has a greater influence on product quality. This chapter deals with the application of response surface methodology (RSM) for the development surface roughness model for turning of tungsten-copper alloy. The experiments were planned as per full factorial design (FFD) with cutting speed, feed rate, and depth of cut as the process parameters. The proposed surface roughness model was employed with particle swarm optimization (PSO) to optimize the parameters. PSO program gives the minimum values of surface roughness and the corresponding optimal machining parameters.
A Framework to Identify Best Practices
Authors: White Connie , Plotnick Linda
Published: January 2012

Social media is used in a variety of domains, including emergency management. However, the question of which technologies are most appropriate for a given emergency remains open. We present a framework of dimensions of emergencies that can assist in selecting appropriate social media for an emergency situation. Social media is not a panacea but can be used effectively given the proper functions available from the particular services provided by each of the Web 2.0 technologies available. The main objective of this paper is to identify the best practices for social media to leverage its ability given the complexities that coincide with events. This is a conceptual paper based on the results of preliminary studies involving group interactions with emergency professionals with various backgrounds. In addition, emergency management students who are professionals in the field followed by another interview soliciting information from information systems scientist were surveyed. We found that each situation called forth various dimensions where only sub phases of the stated dimension may be used given the task type derived from the event characteristics. This lays a foundation upon which a more formal approach can be taken to help tame the social media mania into a manageable set of ‘best practices’ from which emergencies can be managed more effectively given Web 2.0 technologies and social collaborative online tools.
Achieving Electric Restoration Logistical Efficiencies during Critical Infrastructure Crisis Response
Authors: Durbin Teresa , Jennex Murray E. , Frost Eric , Judge Robert
Published: January 2012

After the 2007 Southern California wildfire events, event-assessment of the efficacy of spreadsheets and paper forms raised the question of whether alternative tools could have achieved greater efficiencies in the logistical support of command centers, the sites from which the local utility’s electric restoration personnel were deployed. In this paper, the authors examine what approach would have enabled personnel working on the logistics of the command center effort to have easier-to-use, faster-to-access, command center data stored in, and provided via, a catastrophe resilient platform other than the traditional company computer network. Additionally, the capability to store basic command center requirements from previous emergency responses, thereby saving time during the next emergency, was examined.
Learning Geospatial Concepts as Part of a Non-Formal Education Robotics Experience
Authors: Adamchuk Viacheslav , Barker Bradley S. , Nugent Gwen , Grandgenett Neal , Patent-Nygren Megan , Lutz Collin , Morgan Kathy
Published: January 2012

In the increasingly modern and technological world, it has become common to use global navigation satellite system (GNSS), such as Global Positioning System (GPS), receivers, and Geographic Information Systems (GIS) in everyday life. GPS-equipped mobile devices and various Web services help users worldwide to determine their locations in real-time and to explore unfamiliar land areas using virtual tools. From the beginning, geospatial technologies have been driven by the need to make efficient use of natural resources. More recently, GPS-equipped autonomous vehicles and aircraft have been under development to facilitate technological processes, such as agricultural operations, transportation, or scouting, with limited or virtual human control. As outdoor robotics relies upon a number of principles related to science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM), using such an instructional context for non-formal education has been promising. As a result, the Geospatial and Robotics Technologies for the 21st Century program discussed in this chapter integrates educational robotics and GPS/GIS technologies to provide educational experiences through summer camps, 4-H clubs, and afterschool programs. The project’s impact was assessed in terms of: a) youth learning of computer programming, mathematics, geospatial and engineering/robotics concepts as well as b) youth attitudes and motivation towards STEM-related disciplines. An increase in robotics, GPS, and GIS learning questionnaire scores and a stronger self-efficacy in relevant STEM areas have been found through a set of project-related assessment instruments.
Promoting Diversity and Public School Success in Robotics Competitions
Authors: Rosen Jeffrey , Stillwell Fred , Usselman Marion
Published: January 2012

The objective of robotics competitions, such as FIRST LEGO® League (FLL®), is to create a tournament that promotes high-level engineering and academic engagement in students by providing the most rewarding experience possible for the largest group of students. To increase the number of students age 9-14 successfully participating in FLL® from public schools, and to concurrently increase the diversity of the pool of student participants, the Georgia FLL® organizers have implemented a number of interventions. These interventions can be grouped into A) Centralized policy decisions that impact how the program is run at the state level; B) Outreach activities that provide low-income teams with training and supplies; C) Promotion of LEGO® Mindstorm use within the actual school curriculum; and D) Partnerships with school systems to promote after-school FLL® robotics clubs. This chapter reviews these efforts and their effect on tournament diversity.
Modelling and Simulation of Game Applications in Ad Hoc Wireless Networks Routing
Authors: Raoof Omar , Al-Raweshidy Hamed
Published: January 2012

This chapter presents a game theory based routing algorithm that defines the best route based on the power consumption that each intermediate node will suffer to forward a packet, the price the destination will pay to the source, and the amount of compensation the source will pay to each intermediate node. The chapter also presents a polynomial time algorithm that can give a Nash Equilibrium path and use it to evaluate the performance of the game. The key features of the introduced mechanism are: it uses the first and second price auctions; the auction mechanism insures a fare allocation of the data to the user who values it the most; the second-price sealed-bid auction gives better revenue to the source when compared to the random allocation scheme and the first-price sealed-bid mechanism; the game mechanism combines both source compensation to the intermediate nodes and the power consumption to improve the path reliability between the source and the destination (i.e. the winning bidder); the source payoff will increase once the network density increases; and, finally, the simulation results prove that the introduced auction mechanism dramatically increases the destination’s revenue whether the first or second-price auction is chosen.