bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Présidentielle 2012: la levée du dernier tabou de l'infodivertissement à la télévision française
Authors: Fradin Guillaume
Published: June 2013

Traditionnellement, l'approche de l’élection présidentielle marquait un temps d'arrêt dans la participation des acteurs politiques à des émissions d'infodivertissement. En 2012, la donne change: plusieurs de ces programmes ont produit une analyse serrée de la campagne tout en offrant une tribune à l'ensemble des candidats, jouant ainsi un rôle important dans l'organisation du débat démocratique. Cette rupture de digue trouve plusieurs causes: banalisation du mélange des genres, accès du Front national au second tour des élections présidentielles de 2002, application généralisée des règles imposées par le CSA, mise en concurrence des professionnels et des journalistes, désacralisation de la fonction présidentielle. Elle produit également des effets tant au plan des représentations du jeu électoral qu'au mode de diffusion des idées. L’émission On n'est pas couché offre un terrain d'investigation particulièrement riche. Ses séquences les plus spectaculaires, objets de reprises massives sur l'internet, et la remise en cause des règles de la déontologie journalistique induite par son dispositif pèsent sur la réception.

Si le transit de la communication politique par les programmes d'info-divertissement peut contribuer à rendre un certain nombre d'informations techniques accessible au plus grand nombre, cette forme de vulgarisation ne va pas sans poser des problèmes sérieux.
Relevance of the Mention of Antioxidant Properties in Yogurt Labels: In Vitro Evaluation and Chromatographic Analysis
Authors: Pereira Eliana , Barros Lillian , Ferreira Isabel
Published: June 2013

The purpose of the inclusion of fruit (natural additives) in yogurt aims to increase its antioxidant activity and functionality. Herein, a comparative study of the antioxidant potential of yogurts with pieces of various fruits was performed, including yogurts with mention of antioxidant properties in the label. Free radicals scavenging activity, reducing power and inhibition of lipid peroxidation were evaluated by in vitro assays, as were the contents in antioxidants such as phenolics, flavonoids, sugars and tocopherols. After analyzing thirteen yogurts containing fruit pieces and a natural one (control), the most interesting were yogurts with pieces of berries (for phenolics, flavonoids and 2,2-dipheny-1-picrylhydrazyl (DPPH) scavenging activity), pineapple (for reducing power), blackberry (for β-carotene bleaching inhibition), blackberry “antioxidant” (for tocopherols) and cherry (for sugars). The mention of “antioxidant” in the label was relevant for tocopherols, sugars, DPPH scavenging activity and reducing power. No synergisms were observed in yogurts prepared with pieces of different fruits. Nevertheless, the addition of fruit pieces to yogurt was favorable for antioxidant content, increasing the protection of the consumer against diseases related to oxidative stress.
Change Detection Using Wavelets in Solution Monitoring Data for Nuclear Safeguards
Authors: Longo Claire , Burr Tom , Myers Kary
Published: June 2013

Wavelet analysis is known to be a good option for change detection in many contexts. Detecting changes in solution volumes that are measured with both additive and relative error is an important aspect of safeguards for facilities that process special nuclear material. This paper qualitatively compares wavelet-based change detection to a lag-one differencing option using realistic simulated solution volume data for which the true change points are known. We then show quantitatively that Haar wavelet-based change detection is effective for finding the approximate location of each change point, and that a simple piecewise linear optimization step is effective to refine the initial wavelet-based change point estimate.
Designing Buildings to Cope with Emergencies: Findings from Case Studies on Exit Preferences
Authors: Sagun Aysu , Anumba Chimay , Bouchlaghem Dino
Published: June 2013

Static information found in current building design guidance documents is not adequate to achieve efficient safety and security in public buildings during emergencies. There is a need to consider space characteristics and dynamic information related to building use, behavior and movement of users in various circumstances, as well as their interactions with each other and with their immediate environment. This paper explores the building design issues associated with safety and security and focuses on the exit preferences of building occupants during emergency evacuations. Exit preferences of users in public buildings were investigated using two types of case studies: Observation Case Studies (OCS) and Simulation Case Studies (SCS). The findings from the associated questionnaires and logistic analysis of the OCS data showed that “distance” and “familiarity” with the building were the two most important factors for exit preference in office buildings. It was also found that imbalanced use of exit doors considerably increases the evacuation time. Finally, further research study opportunities are discussed. SCS underscored the difference between evacuation assumptions in current building guidance compared with the results of real life experiments.
A Cross-Sectional, Randomized Cluster Sample Survey of Household Vulnerability to Extreme Heat among Slum Dwellers in Ahmedabad, India
Authors: Tran Kathy , Azhar Gulrez , Nair Rajesh , Knowlton Kim , Jaiswal Anjali , Sheffield Perry , Mavalankar Dileep , Hess Jeremy
Published: June 2013

Extreme heat is a significant public health concern in India; extreme heat hazards are projected to increase in frequency and severity with climate change. Few of the factors driving population heat vulnerability are documented, though poverty is a presumed risk factor. To facilitate public health preparedness, an assessment of factors affecting vulnerability among slum dwellers was conducted in summer 2011 in Ahmedabad, Gujarat, India. Indicators of heat exposure, susceptibility to heat illness, and adaptive capacity, all of which feed into heat vulnerability, was assessed through a cross-sectional household survey using randomized multistage cluster sampling. Associations between heat-related morbidity and vulnerability factors were identified using multivariate logistic regression with generalized estimating equations to account for clustering effects. Age, preexisting medical conditions, work location, and access to health information and resources were associated with self-reported heat illness. Several of these variables were unique to this study. As sociodemographics, occupational heat exposure, and access to resources were shown to increase vulnerability, future interventions (e.g., health education) might target specific populations among Ahmedabad urban slum dwellers to reduce vulnerability to extreme heat. Surveillance and evaluations of future interventions may also be worthwhile.
Evaluation of Blood Regimen on the Survival of Cimex lectularius L. Using Life Table Parameters
Authors: Barbarin Alexis , Gebhardtsbauer Ron , Rajotte Edwin
Published: June 2013

Knowledge of bed bug development under varying conditions can lead to more sophisticated management techniques. Development rate, age and stage-specific life tables were compared for a laboratory strain (HS) and field strain (ECL-05) of bed bug Cimex lectularius L. (Hemiptera: Heteroptera) reared on two blood regimens: human or rabbit blood. Harlan and ECL-05 bed bugs reared on human blood had a life expectancy of 207 and 208 days respectively from the egg stage. Egg to adult development of HS bed bugs reared on human blood (~35 days) was significantly longer than that of the ECL-05 strain (~33 days) in the third, fourth, and fifth instars. The HS and ECL-05 bed bugs reared on rabbit blood had a life expectancy of 149 and 174 days respectively. Egg to adult development time of HS on rabbit blood (~52 days) was significantly longer than ECL-05 (~37 days) in every instar, and HS total life span was significantly shorter compared to ECL-05. Developmental differences based on strain and blood regimen suggest rabbit blood is an inferior blood source for colony maintenance, and strain has variable effects on bed bug development. Findings suggest that blood regimen should strongly be considered in bed bug colony maintenance.
Serum Ionized Calcium May Be Related to White Matter Lesion Volumes in Older Adults: A Pilot Study
Authors: Payne Martha , Pierce Cortnee , McQuoid Douglas , Steffens David , Anderson John
Published: June 2013

White matter lesions have detrimental effects upon older adults, while serum calcium levels have been associated with elevated vascular risk and may be associated with these lesions. Depression, a serious mental disorder characterized by disturbances in calcium metabolism, may be an important contributor to any calcium-lesion relationship. This cross-sectional pilot study examined the association between serum ionized calcium (the physiologically active form of calcium) and white matter lesion volumes in a sample of depressed and non-depressed older adults (N = 42; 60 years and older). Serum ionized calcium was determined using an ion-selective electrode technique, while lesion volumes were estimated from magnetic resonance imaging using an automated expectation-maximization segmentation. A linear regression model, controlling for age and group (depression vs. comparison), showed a trend for a positive relationship between serum ionized calcium and white matter lesion volume (β = 4.34, SE = 2.27, t = 1.91, p = 0.063). Subsample analyses with depressed participants showed a significant positive relationship between higher ionic calcium and greater lesion volume (β = 6.41, SE = 2.53, t = 2.53, p = 0.018), but no association was found for non-depressed participants. Sex-specific subsample analyses showed a significant positive relationship between higher calcium and greater lesion volume in men only (β = 7.49, SE = 3.42, t = 2.19, p = 0.041). These preliminary results indicate that serum ionized calcium may be associated with white matter lesions in older adults, particularly among men and individuals with depression. Larger studies are needed to confirm these findings.
Extracellular Vesicle (EV) Array: microarray capturing of exosomes and other extracellular vesicles for multiplexed phenotyping
Authors: Jørgensen Malene , Bæk Rikke , Pedersen Shona , Søndergaard Evo K.L. , Kristensen Søren R. , Varming Kim
Published: June 2013

Background

Exosomes are one of the several types of cell‐derived vesicles with a diameter of 30–100 nm. These extracellular vesicles are recognized as potential markers of human diseases such as cancer. However, their use in diagnostic tests requires an objective and high‐throughput method to define their phenotype and determine their concentration in biological fluids. To identify circulating as well as cell culture‐derived vesicles, the current standard is immunoblotting or a flow cytometrical analysis for specific proteins, both of which requires large amounts of purified vesicles.

Methods

Based on the technology of protein microarray, we hereby present a highly sensitive Extracellular Vesicle (EV) Array capable of detecting and phenotyping exosomes and other extracellular vesicles from unpurified starting material in a high‐throughput manner. To only detect the exosomes captured on the EV Array, a cocktail of antibodies against the tetraspanins CD9, CD63 and CD81 was used. These antibodies were selected to ensure that all exosomes captured are detected, and concomitantly excluding the detection of other types of microvesicles.

Results

The limit of detection (LOD) was determined on exosomes derived from the colon cancer cell line LS180. It clarified that supernatant from only approximately 104 cells was needed to obtain signals or that only 2.5×104 exosomes were required for each microarray spot (~1 nL). Phenotyping was performed on plasma (1–10 µL) from 7 healthy donors, which were applied to the EV Array with a panel of antibodies against 21 different cellular surface antigens and cancer antigens. For each donor, there was considerable heterogeneity in the expression levels of individual markers. The protein profiles of the exosomes (defined as positive for CD9, CD63 and CD81) revealed that only the expression level of CD9 and CD81 was approximately equal in the 7 donors. This implies questioning the use of CD63 as a standard exosomal marker since the expression level of this tetraspanin was considerably lower.
Creation of a New Femtosecond Laser-Assisted Mini-Flap to Enhance Late Regression After LASIK
Authors: Garcia-Gonzalez Montserrat , Teus Miguel A.
Published: June 2013

PURPOSE:

To describe a method of LASIK enhancement in which a new femtosecond laser-assisted mini-flap is created over the original LASIK flap.

METHODS:

The 60-kHz IntraLase femtosecond laser (IntraLase Corp., Irvine, CA) was used to create a new mini-flap over an original LASIK flap for the re-treatment of late regression after LASIK. The diameter of the mini-flap was 7 mm and the attempted flap depth was 100
μ
m.

RESULTS:

The procedure was performed on 10 eyes of 7 patients. No intraoperative or postoperative complications developed in any case during the follow-up. At the 6-month follow-up visit, all eyes were within ±0.5 diopters of the targeted refraction.

CONCLUSIONS:

The preliminary results suggest that creation of a femtosecond laser-assisted mini-flap over a previous LASIK flap seems to be a safe and effective procedure for the enhancement of late regression after LASIK. By creating a femtosecond laser-assisted mini-flap that is smaller in diameter than the original flap, the adhesion of the primary flap edges and peripheral interface remain intact, thus decreasing the risk of dislocation of the original LASIK flap and of losing a sliver of tissue.

[
J Refract Surg.
2013;29(8):564–568.]
Design of an Open Platform for Collective Voting through EDNI on the Internet
Authors: Crespo Rubén González , Martínez Oscar Sanjuán , Alvarez José Manuel Saiz , Lovelle Juan Manuel Cueva , García-Bustelo B. Cristina Pelayo , Ordóñez de Pablos Patricia
Published: June 2013

The present chapter aims to introduce the construction of a generic platform and open secure voting and multipurpose for the realm of the Internet. This platform will allow for collecting signatures and supporting multiple contexts through the use of electronic IDs and digital certificates. Potential applications of this platform are almost endless but some of the most significant may be: Voting at shareholders meetings, and votes in communities of neighbors, collect signatures, collect signatures for nominations, proposals for ILP (Popular Legislative initiatives), any activity susceptible to need a platform for reliable vote, meetings of parents, collegiate, et cetera. Currently the use of e-government for the identification of persons through digital documents is on rise, and the possibilities it presents are endless. That is why this chapter provides solutions for allowing these uses; it is of general interest for the present society.
E-Procurement Associated with MRO
Authors: Oliveira Alexandre Ferreira , Joia Luiz Antonio
Published: June 2013

The purpose of this chapter is to identify the benefits achieved by the Caixa Economica Federal (Caixa), with regard to improvements in efficiency, to deploy its e-procurement solution associated with MRO (Maintenance, Repair, and Operation). Through a simple case study, this chapter seeks to analyze the strategic importance of deploying shopping site Caixa, investigating how the dimensions of technological, organizational and cultural influence the efficiency of their production processes. Although the results are significant in relation to the recovery time of investment, and promising for the potential to reduce administrative costs of the company, factors linked to participation and willingness to adopt a new sales model and the investment capacity and flexibility to adopt models were extremely important from the perspective of suppliers.
Euroalert.net
Authors: Marín José Luis , Rodríguez Mai , Marín Ángel , Calmeau Ramón , Alvarez Jose María , Labra José Emilio
Published: June 2013

This chapter aims to describe a use case of information re-use in the field of public procurement in the European Union (EU). It describes how the lack of a pan-European information platform providing one single access point to EU public procurement notices, hampers the access for companies to this market, especially for SMEs. To bring one possible solution to this significant issue, Euroalert.net– a company powered by open data –, is currently developing commercial services fuelled by the re-use of public sector information (PSI) related to public procurement. The chapter also describes 10ders information Services (10ders IS), a Euroalert.net R&D project aimed at building a pan-European platform to aggregate public procurement information data generated by hundreds of thousands of contracting authorities in the EU.
The Benefits and Barriers of Electronic Public Procurement System
Authors: Demirbas Tolga , Eroglu Erdal , Çetinkaya Özhan
Published: June 2013

In almost every country, public procurements are the primary issue which citizens are the most sensitive to in terms of how public money is spent. Electronic procurement systems in the public sector have been adopted as a solution in order to respond to the sensitivity of citizens because of the benefits promised. In the early 2000s, Turkey both made the public procurement legislation approximate to the European Union standards and began to develop an e-procurement system within the scope of e-transformation Turkey project. As a result of the works carried out under the leadership of the Public Procurement Authority, which is an independent administrative authority, the e-procurement system started to be used in some stages of the procurement process. Four public hospitals were determined as pilot administrations in order to improve the implementation and it was aimed to make the implementation common in all sectors according to the experiences gained in this field. The objective of this chapter is to reveal benefits gained and barriers faced during the development process of the e-procurement by focusing on the above mentioned pilot implementation field. In order to attain this objective, the method of case study was adopted in this research, and guiding experiences were tried to be gained for the e-procurement implementations in the future.
Implementing Authentication in an E-Procurement System
Authors: Milovanovic Miloš , Minovic Miroslav , Simic Dejan , Starcevic Dušan
Published: June 2013

E-government can provide citizen with better and/or more convenient services as oppose to traditional government services. Using electronic approach in completing a procurement process opens up a lot of issues regarding security. Transparent nature of the process at hand is requiring a sophisticated security system. Unauthorized access or different intrusion types are presenting a legitimate threat. On the other hand, developing such system in a developing country as Serbia bears many difficulties. Some of them are legal obstacles, technical weaknesses, as well as human resistance towards change. The focus of this chapter lies on methods used to overcome those difficulties as well as provide a strong security system that will guarantee the protection of sensitive data.
Business Process Integration within Lightweight Semantic-Enabled Enterprise Service-Oriented Architecture
Authors: Mahmoud Tariq , Petersen Marc , Rummel David
Published: June 2013

In the last decade, the Small and Medium Enterprises (SME) market has been enormously raised, and the major vendors are trying to adapt their software to suit it. One important factor to be taken into consideration in such context is the support of internal and external business process integration. Service-oriented systems are offering reasonable business process integration support. However, they lack semantic definition of their service interfaces. The research presented in this chapter tries to solve this issue by proposing a lightweight semantic-enabled enterprise service-oriented framework where services can be semantically grouped based on the domains to which they belong. The proposed framework is merging both business processes and service orientation concepts to provide an agile and flexible enterprise solution that utilizes reusability, better quality, and faster time-to-market factors. This chapter will illustrate this framework, its goals, and outcomes, together with demonstration of a business case built on top of it.
Key Distributed Components for a Large-Scale Object Storage
Authors: Allalouf Miriam , Chevalier Ghislain , Harnik Danny , Tal Sivan
Published: June 2013

This chapter discusses distributed mechanisms that serve as building blocks in the construction of the VISION Cloud object service. Two are fundamental building blocks in the creation of a large-scale clustered object storage. These are distributed file systems and distributed data management systems. In addition, the authors study two complimentary topics that aim to improve the qualities of the underlying infrastructure. These are resource allocation mechanisms and improvements to data mobility via data reduction.
Towards Federation and Interoperability of Cloud Storage Systems
Authors: Dippl Sebastian , Jaeger Michael C. , Luhn Achim , Shulman-Peleg Alexandra , Vernik Gil
Published: June 2013

While it is common to use storage in a cloud-based manner, the question of true interoperability is rarely fully addressed. This question becomes even more relevant since the steadily growing amount of data that needs to be stored will supersede the capacity of a single system in terms of resources, availability, and network throughput quite soon. The logical conclusion is that a network of systems needs to be created that is able to cope with the requirements of big data applications and data deluge scenarios. This chapter shows how federation and interoperability will fit into a cloud storage scenario. The authors take a look at the challenges that federation imposes on autonomous, heterogeneous, and distributed cloud systems, and present approaches that help deal with the special requirements introduced by the VISION Cloud use cases from healthcare, media, telecommunications, and enterprise domains. Finally, the authors give an overview on how VISION Cloud addresses these requirements in its research scenarios and architecture.
Cloud Access Control Mechanisms
Authors: Formisano Ciro , Bonelli Lucia , Balraj Kanchanna Ramasamy , Shulman-Peleg Alexandra
Published: June 2013

Cloud storage systems provide highly scalable and continuously available storage services to millions of geographically distributed clients. In order for users to trust their data to these systems, they need to be confident that their data is secure. Thus, cloud services should implement an access control mechanism preventing unauthorized access and manipulation of their data. This chapter presents the existing access control mechanisms and describes their advantages and limitations in the Cloud set-up. The authors address the main access control aspects that include managing the identities and defining access policies. Furthermore, they describe more complex scenarios of identity federation and integration of separate identity silos which is required in various scenarios, like collaboration, merge on acquisition, or migration. For each topic, the authors present the existing solutions and describe the motivation for the architecture developed by the VISION Cloud project.
Storage Security and Technical Challenges of Cloud Computing
Authors: Pal Shantanu
Published: June 2013

Cloud computing has leaped ahead as one of the biggest technological advances of the present time. In cloud, users can upload or retrieve their desired data from anywhere in the world at anytime, making this the most important and primary function in cloud computing technology. While this technology reduces the geographical barriers and improves the scalability in the way we compute, keeping data in a Cloud Data Center (CDC) faces numerous challenges from unauthorized users and hackers within the system. Creating proper Service Level Agreements (SLA) and providing high-end storage security is the biggest barrier being developed for better Quality of Service (QoS) and implementation of a safer cloud computing environment for the Cloud Service Users (CSU) as well as for the Cloud Service Providers (CSP). Therefore, cloud applications need to have increased QoS and effective security measures and policies set in place to provide better services and to decline unauthorized access. The purpose of this chapter is to examine the cloud computing technology behind innovative business approaches and establishing SLA in cloud computing applications. This chapter provides a clear understanding of different cloud computing security challenges, risks, attacks, and solutions that exist in the present heterogeneous cloud computing environment. Storage security, different cloud infrastructures, the many advantages, and limitations are also discussed.
Flashing in the Cloud
Authors: Boukhobza Jalil
Published: June 2013

Data and storage systems are one of the most important issues to tackle when dealing with cloud computing. Performance, in terms of data transfer and energy cost, predictability, and scalability are the main challenges researchers are faced with, and new techniques for storing, managing, and accessing huge amounts of data are required to make cloud computing technology feasible. With the emergence of flash memories in mass storage systems and the advantages it can provide in terms of speed and power efficiency as compared to traditional disks, one must rethink the storage system architectures accordingly. Indeed, the integration of flash memories is considered as a key technology to leverage the performance of data-centric computing. The purpose of this chapter is to introduce flash memory storage systems by focusing on their specific architectures and algorithms, and finally their integration into servers and data centers.
XtreemFS
Authors: Stender Jan , Berlin Michael , Reinefeld Alexander
Published: June 2013

Cloud computing poses new challenges to data storage. While cloud providers use shared distributed hardware, which is inherently unreliable and insecure, cloud users expect their data to be safely and securely stored, available at any time, and accessible in the same way as their locally stored data. In this chapter, the authors present XtreemFS, a file system for the cloud. XtreemFS reconciles the need of cloud providers for cheap scale-out storage solutions with that of cloud users for a reliable, secure, and easy data access. The main contributions of the chapter are: a description of the internal architecture of XtreemFS, which presents an approach to build large-scale distributed POSIX-compliant file systems on top of cheap, off-the-shelf hardware; a description of the XtreemFS security infrastructure, which guarantees an isolation of individual users despite shared and insecure storage and network resources; a comprehensive overview of replication mechanisms in XtreemFS, which guarantee consistency, availability, and durability of data in the face of component failures; an overview of the snapshot infrastructure of XtreemFS, which allows to capture and freeze momentary states of the file system in a scalable and fault-tolerant fashion. The authors also compare XtreemFS with existing solutions and argue for its practicability and potential in the cloud storage market.
Between Physical and Virtual Reality
Authors: Silvana de Rosa Annamaria , Bocci Elena
Published: June 2013

This chapter presents a perspective theory, not yet fully developed, that seeks to analyze the connections between “Social Representations and Corporate Communication” (Penz, 2006; Usunier & Lee, 2009). It is divided into two sections. In the first, descriptive section we identified the organizational dynamics of the Benetton Company utilizing structural elements found in the enterprise’s literature and documents. The objective was to understand Benetton galaxy’s role in globalization and its complex market strategies. Since this was an internal view of the company, data was obtained from internal documents, including the company’s publications, such as Global Vision and Colors publications. In order to understand the company from an external perspective, we consulted studies conducted on the Benetton universe that considered the marketing element as interaction between the company and the market (Kotler, 1997; Nardin, 1987; Semprini, 1996; Moliner, 1996; Tafani, 2006). In the second, empirical section, the social representation of the Benetton brand is analyzed using a large sample of Benetton’s advertisements, selected as the basis for research to identify the perceptive modalities of advertising messages and attitudes in Benetton’s communication strategies (de Rosa, 1998, 2001; de Rosa & Losito, 1996; de Rosa & Bocci, 2009). In this second section the relationship between social representations and corporate communication will be presented in a dialogical perspective that examines the social discourse “of” Benetton in regard to social issues. We will look at the different phases of advertising campaigns (1992-2008, with special focus on one of the controversial campaigns: Autumn-Winter 1992\1993) and the discourse “about” Benetton. The targets of reference for our research program are considered to be not only recipients of the company’s advertising campaigns, but also potential buyers.
Branding and Sustainable Competitive Advantage in Indian Politics
Authors: Kapoor Avinash , Kulshrestha Chinmaya
Published: June 2013

Political marketing has grown leaps and bounds in India over the last two elections. The purpose of this chapter is to analyze as to how politicians have built their personal brands and how successful they have been at it. More specifically, we study Rahul Gandhi as a brand in order to find a match between brand identity, brand personality, and consumer perception in terms of benefits sought and influence of activities undertaken by him. The chapter concludes personality brands in politics work well when the brand personality matches with the party’s ideology, and stays strong through right activities and image building choices. There should be a sustainable synergy between the leader and the party to avoid brand equity dilution.
Brand Engagement and Brand Loyalty
Authors: Goldsmith Ronald E.
Published: June 2013

Marketers value and seek brand loyalty. Consequently, they have developed a variety of strategies to encourage both behavioral (repeat purchase) and attitudinal (emotional) loyalty among customers. A recent concept has emerged related to the latter goal: brand engagement. Although marketers give a variety of definitions for brand engagement, the essential concept is an emotional attachment to a brand as though the customer has an emotional relationship with it perhaps because the brand acts as an important reflection of self-identity or is an important symbol of something meaningful to the consumer. Consumers manifest different types of engagement (with advertising, media, web sites, a company, as well as specific brands). Engagement is also conceptualized at different levels of abstraction: engagement with the marketplace, engagement with a product category, engagement with a specific brand, and brand engagement in self-concept, which refers to differences in how much consumer use brands in general to represent themselves to others. This chapter discusses these issues in some detail and presents theoretical, managerial, and theoretical implications of this concept.
E-Branding and Institutional Web Sites
Authors: Silvana de Rosa Annamaria , Bocci Elena , Picone Massimiliano
Published: June 2013

Other than the descriptive value and the possible function of guiding web professionals and institutional communication managers of the city, the results presented in this chapter have a historical value (given the volatility and dynamicity of web sites, like many other Internet environments) with respect to the evolution towards web 2.0 scenarios, assuming a particular interest for further comparative analysis with 2010 web sites, currently under investigation.
An Alternative Role for Foxp3 As an Effector T Cell Regulator Controlled through CD40
Authors: Vaitaitis Gisela M. , Carter Jessica R. , Waid Dan M. , Olmstead Michael H. , Wagner David H.
Published: June 2013

The BDC2.5 T cell clone is highly diabetogenic, but the transgenic mouse generated from that clone is surprisingly slow in diabetes development. Although defining pathogenic effector T cells in autoimmunity has been inconsistent, CD4+ cells expressing the CD40 receptor (Th40 cells) are highly diabetogenic in NOD mice, and NOD.BDC2.5.TCR.Tg mice possess large numbers of these cells. Given the importance of CD40 for pathogenic T cell development, BDC2.5.CD40−/− mice were created. Regulatory T cells, CD4+CD25hiFoxp3+, develop normally, but pathogenic effector cells are severely reduced in number. Th40 cells from diabetic BDC2.5 mice rapidly induce diabetes in NOD.scid recipients, but Th40 cells from prediabetic mice transfer diabetes very slowly. Demonstrating an important paradigm shift, effector Th40 cells from prediabetic mice are Foxp3+. As mice age, moving to type 1 diabetes development, Th40 cells lose Foxp3. When Th40 cells that are Foxp3+ are transferred to NOD.scid recipients, disease is delayed. Th40 cells that are Foxp3− rapidly transfer disease. Th40 cells from BDC2.5.CD40−/− mice do not transfer disease nor do they lose Foxp3 expression. Mechanistically, Foxp3+ cells produce IL-17 but do not produce IFN-γ, whereas Foxp3− Th40 cells produce IFN-γ and IL-2. This poses a new consideration for the function of Foxp3, as directly impacting effector T cell function.
Some aspects of Adolf von Harnack’s criticism on Orthodox tradition
Authors: Buda Daniel
Published: June 2013

The aim of this article is to present the critique that Adolf von Harnack (1851–1930) formulated on the Orthodox tradition in his famous book Das Wesen des Christentums, as well as to comment on its affirmations in the context of his time and way of thinking and to try and find explanations for his criticism. The article concludes that although Harnack’s critique on the Orthodox tradition may have presented negative perception of Orthodoxy, particularly amongst Protestants and many Orthodox theologians who were furious after reading his paper, yet, his critical affirmations also have constructive aspects. However, some of the conclusions of Harnack’s criticism are genuinely rejected by the Orthodox theologians and are no longer sustainable. As a theologian, Harnack cannot be considered an opponent of the modern ecumenical movement, but rather as one of its pioneers. Harnack could be included in the category of frank ecumenists who prefer to express in a critical, but constructive way that which he believes about his own Christian tradition, as well as other Christian traditions.
Tuberculosis of the genitourinary system-Urinary tract tuberculosis: Renal tuberculosis-Part II
Authors: Merchant Suleman , Bharati Alpa , Merchant Neesha
Published: June 2013

This article reviews the computed tomography and magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) features of renal tuberculosis (TB), including TB in transplant recipients and immunocompromised patients. Multi detector computed tomography (MDCT) forms the mainstay of cross-sectional imaging in renal TB. It can easily identify calcification, renal scars, mass lesions, and urothelial thickening. The combination of uneven caliectasis, with urothelial thickening and lack of pelvic dilatation, can also be demonstrated on MDCT. MRI is a sensitive modality for demonstration of features of renal TB, including tissue edema, asymmetric perinephric fat stranding, and thickening of Gerota′s fascia, all of which may be clues to focal pyelonephritis of tuberculous origin. Diffusion-weighted MR imaging with apparent diffusion coefficient (ADC) values may help in differentiating hydronephrosis from pyonephrosis. ADC values also have the potential to serve as a sensitive non-invasive biomarker of renal fibrosis. Immunocompromised patients are at increased risk of renal TB. In transplant patients, renal TB, including tuberculous interstitial nephritis, is an important cause of graft dysfunction. Renal TB in patients with HIV more often shows greater parenchymal affection, with poorly formed granulomas and relatively less frequent findings of caseation and stenosis. Atypical mycobacterial infections are also more common in immunocompromised patients.
Multiphasic contrast-enhanced CT and MRI findings of adult mesoblastic nephroma: A report of two cases
Authors: Ding Yuqin , He Deming , Zhou Jianjun , Zeng Mengsu
Published: June 2013

Mesoblastic nephroma (MN) presenting in an adult is extremely rare. The computed tomography (CT) and magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) features of this tumor in adulthood have not been widely reported. We present two additional cases of adult MN and describe the multiphasic contrast-enhanced CT and MRI findings.
Appearances of the circumcaval ureter on excretory urography and MR urography: A single-center case series
Authors: Muthusami Prakash , Ramesh Ananthakrishnan
Published: June 2013

Objectives: To describe Magnetic Resonance Urography (MRU) appearances of the circumcaval ureter, a rare congenital cause of hydronephrosis. Materials and Methods: Seven cases of circumcaval ureter, suspected on intravenous urography (IVU), underwent subsequent static MRU using heavily T2-weighted sequences. Results: The various appearances of circumcaval ureter on IVU and MRU were studied and compared. The circumcaval portion of the ureter was especially well seen on axial MRU sections, though this portion was routinely not visualized on IVU. In one case with a ureteric calculus, MRU also depicted a circumcaval course of the ureter, thus providing a complete diagnosis. In yet another case, where a circumcaval ureter was suspected on IVU, MRU proved the actual cause of ureteric obstruction to be a crossing vessel. Conclusion: Static MRU using heavily T2-weighted coronal and axial sequences can make or exclude the diagnosis of circumcaval ureter unequivocally.
Estimates of Hausdorff Dimension for Non-wandering Sets of Higher Dimensional Open Billiards
Authors: Wright Paul
Published: June 2013

This article concerns a class of open billiards consisting of a finite number of strictly convex, non-eclipsing obstacles K. The non-wandering set M0 of the billiard ball map is a topological Cantor set, and its Hausdorff dimension has been previously estimated for billiards in ℝ2 using well-known techniques. We extend these estimates to billiards in ℝn and make various refinements to the estimates. These refinements also allow improvements to other results. We also show that in many cases, the nonwandering set is confined to a particular subset of ℝn formed by the convex hull of points determined by period 2 orbits. This allows more accurate bounds on the constants used in estimating Hausdorff dimension.
Knowledge, Attitudes, and Practices Related to Meningitis in Northern Ghana
Authors: Hayden Mary H. , Dalaba Maxwell , Awine Timothy , Akweongo Patricia , Nyaaba Gertrude , Anaseba Dominic , Pelzman Jamie , Hodgson Abraham , Pandya Rajul
Published: June 2013

Meningitis has a significant impact in the Sahel, but the mechanisms for transmission and factors determining a person's vulnerability are not well understood. Our survey examined the knowledge, attitudes, and practices of people in a meningitis-endemic area in the Upper East region of northern Ghana to identify social, economic, and behavioral factors that may contribute to disease transmission and possible interventions that might improve health outcomes. Key results suggest potential interventions in response to the risk posed by migration, especially seasonal migration, a lack of knowledge about early symptoms causing delayed treatment, and a need for further education about the protective benefits of vaccination.
Comparison of Clinical and Laboratory Characteristics of Intestinal Amebiasis with Shigellosis among Patients Visiting a Large Urban Diarrheal Disease Hospital in Bangladesh
Authors: Das Sumon Kumar , Chisti Mohammod Jobayer , Malek Mohammad Abdul , Salam Mohammed Abdus , Ahmed Tahmeed , Faruque Abu Syed Golam , Mondal Dinesh
Published: June 2013

Between 1993 and 2011, a total of 371 intestinal amebiasis (IA), caused by Entamoeba histolytica cases were compared with 1,113 shigellosis (randomly selected) patients of icddr,b, excluding co-infections (rotavirus and Vibrio cholerae) in two age stratums: 0–14 years of age and ≥ 15 years of age. The number of IA and shigellosis cases gradually reduced over the study period. In multivariate analysis, individuals 0–14 years of age, slum dwellers (odds ratio [OR] 3.51; 95% confidence interval [CI] 1.69–7.24; P < 0.001), red blood cell (0.44 [0.24–0.86] 0.016), fecal leukocytes (0.17 [0.07–0.33] < 0.001), and alkaline stool (0.16 [0.07–0.36] < 0.001) were independently associated with IA; and among individuals ≥ 15 years of age, living in the slum area (1.88 [1.12–3.14] 0.016), watery stool (2.21 [1.37–3.55] 0.001), use of antimicrobials before visiting hospital (0.67 [0.46–0.99] 0.047), red blood cell (0.45 [0.22–0.94] 0.036), and fecal leukocytes (0.21 [0.12–0.35] < 0.001) in stool were independently associated with IA. Socio-demographic and clinical characteristics of IA and shigellosis varied distantly from each other.
Tropospheric carbon monoxide variability from AIRS and IASI under clear and cloudy conditions
Authors: Warner J. , Carminati F. , Wei Z. , Lahoz W. , Attié J.-L.
Published: June 2013

Abstract. We study the Carbon Monoxide (CO) variability in the last decade measured by NASA's Atmospheric InfraRed Sounder (AIRS) on the Earth Observing Systems (EOS)/Aqua satellite and Europe's Infrared Atmospheric Sounder Interferometer (IASI) on MetOp platform. The focus of this study is to analyze CO variability and short-term trends separately for background CO and new emissions based on a new statistical approach. The AIRS Level 2 (L2) retrieval algorithm, as well as the IASI products from NOAA, utilizes cloud clearing to treat cloud contaminations in the signals; and this increases the data coverage significantly to a yield of more than 50% of the total measurements (Susskind et al., 2003). We first study if the cloud clearing affects CO retrievals and the subsequent trend studies by using the collocated Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) (Ackerman et al., 1998) cloud mask to identify AIRS clear sky scenes. We then separate AIRS CO data into clear and cloud-cleared scenes and into background and new emissions, respectively. Furthermore, we carry out a similar study for the IASI CO and discuss the consistency with AIRS. We validate the CO variability of the emissions developed from AIRS against other emission inventory databases (i.e., Global Fire Emissions Database – GFED3 and the MACC/CityZEN UE – MACCity) and calculate that the correlation coefficients between the AIRS CO emissions and the emission inventory databases are 0.726 for the Northern Hemisphere (NH) and 0.915 for the Southern Hemisphere (SH).
The role of microorganisms at different stages of ecosystem development for soil formation
Authors: Schulz S. , Brankatschk R. , Dümig A. , Kögel-Knabner I. , Schloter M. , Zeyer J.
Published: June 2013

Abstract. Soil formation is the result of a complex network of biological as well as chemical and physical processes. The role of soil microbes is of high interest, since they are responsible for most biological transformations and drive the development of stable and labile pools of carbon (C), nitrogen (N) and other nutrients, which facilitate the subsequent establishment of plant communities. Forefields of receding glaciers provide unique chronosequences of different soil development stages and are ideal ecosystems to study the interaction of bacteria, fungi and archaea with their abiotic environment. In this review we give insights into the role of microbes for soil development. The results presented are based on studies performed within the Collaborative Research Program DFG SFB/TRR 38 (http://www.tu-cottbus.de/ecosystem ) and are supplemented by data from other studies. The review focusses on the microbiology of major steps of soil formation. Special attention is given to the development of nutrient cycles on the formation of biological soil crusts (BSCs) and on the establishment of plant–microbe interactions.
Photosynthate translocation increases in response to low seawater pH in a coral–dinoflagellate symbiosis
Authors: Tremblay P. , Fine M. , Maguer J. F. , Grover R. , Ferrier-Pagès C.
Published: June 2013

Abstract. This study has examined the effect of low seawater pH values (induced by an increased CO2 partial pressure) on the rates of photosynthesis, as well as on the carbon budget and carbon translocation in the scleractinian coral species Stylophora pistillata, using a new model based on 13C labelling of the photosynthetic products. Symbiont photosynthesis contributes to a large part of the carbon acquisition in tropical coral species, and it is thus important to know how environmental changes affect this carbon acquisition and allocation. For this purpose, nubbins of S. pistillata were maintained for six months at two pHTs (8.1 and 7.2, by bubbling seawater with CO2). The lowest pH value was used to tackle how seawater pH impacts the carbon budget of a scleractinian coral. Rates of photosynthesis and respiration of the symbiotic association and of isolated symbionts were assessed at each pH. The fate of 13C photosynthates was then followed in the symbionts and the coral host for 48 h. Nubbins maintained at pHT 7.2 presented a lower areal symbiont concentration, and lower areal rates of gross photosynthesis and carbon incorporation compared to nubbins maintained at pHT 8.1. The total carbon acquisition was thus lower under low pH. However, the total percentage of carbon translocated to the host as well as the amount of carbon translocated per symbiont cell were significantly higher under pHT 7.2 than under pHT 8.1 (70% at pHT 7.2 vs. 60% at pHT 8.1), such that the total amount of photosynthetic carbon received by the coral host was equivalent under both pHs (5.5 to 6.1 μg C cm−2 h−1). Although the carbon budget of the host was unchanged, symbionts acquired less carbon for their own needs (0.6 compared to 1.8 μg C cm−2 h−1), explaining the overall decrease in symbiont concentration at low pH. In the long term, such decrease in symbiont concentration might severely affect the carbon budget of the symbiotic association.
A new model for biomineralization and trace-element signatures of foraminifera tests
Authors: Nehrke G. , Keul N. , Langer G. , de Nooijer L. J. , Bijma J. , Meibom A.
Published: June 2013

Abstract. The Mg / Ca ratio of foraminifera calcium-carbonate tests is used as proxy for seawater temperature and widely applied to reconstruct global paleo-climatic changes. However, the mechanisms involved in the carbonate biomineralization process are poorly understood. The current paradigm holds that calcium ions for the test are supplied primarily by endocytosis of seawater. Here, we combine confocal-laser scanning-microscopy observations of a membrane-impermeable fluorescent marker in the extant benthic species Ammonia aomoriensis with dynamic 44Ca-labeling and NanoSIMS isotopic imaging of its test. We infer that Ca for the test in A. aomoriensis is supplied primarily via trans-membrane transport, but that a small component of passively transported (e.g. by endocytosis) seawater to the site of calcification plays a key role in defining the trace-element composition of the test. Our model accounts for the full range of Mg / Ca and Sr / Ca observed for benthic foraminifera tests and predicts the effect of changing seawater Mg / Ca ratio. This places foram-based paleoclimatology into a strong conceptual framework.