bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
FDG-PET Response Prediction in Pediatric Hodgkin’s Lymphoma: Impact of Metabolically Defined Tumor Volumes and Individualized SUV Measurements on the Positive Predictive Value
Authors: Hussien Amr , Furth Christian , Schönberger Stefan , Hundsdoerfer Patrick , Steffen Ingo , Amthauer Holger , Müller Hans-Wilhelm , Hautzel Hubertus
Published: January 2015

Background: In pediatric Hodgkin’s lymphoma (pHL) early response-to-therapy prediction is metabolically assessed by (18)F-FDG PET carrying an excellent negative predictive value (NPV) but an impaired positive predictive value (PPV). Aim of this study was to improve the PPV while keeping the optimal NPV. A comparison of different PET data analyses was performed applying individualized standardized uptake values (SUV), PET-derived metabolic tumor volume (MTV) and the product of both parameters, termed total lesion glycolysis (TLG); Methods: One-hundred-eight PET datasets (PET1, n = 54; PET2, n = 54) of 54 children were analysed by visual and semi-quantitative means. SUVmax, SUVmean, MTV and TLG were obtained the results of both PETs and the relative change from PET1 to PET2 (Δ in %) were compared for their capability of identifying responders and non-responders using receiver operating characteristics (ROC)-curves. In consideration of individual variations in noise and contrasts levels all parameters were additionally obtained after threshold correction to lean body mass and background; Results: All semi-quantitative SUV estimates obtained at PET2 were significantly superior to the visual PET2 analysis. However, ΔSUVmax revealed the best results (area under the curve, 0.92; p < 0.001; sensitivity 100%; specificity 85.4%; PPV 46.2%; NPV 100%; accuracy, 87.0%) but was not significantly superior to SUVmax-estimation at PET2 and ΔTLGmax. Likewise, the lean body mass and background individualization of the datasets did not impove the results of the ROC analyses; Conclusions: Sophisticated semi-quantitative PET measures in early response assessment of pHL patients do not perform significantly better than the previously proposed ΔSUVmax. All analytical strategies failed to improve the impaired PPV to a clinically acceptable level while preserving the excellent NPV.
Design of Pt/Carbon Xerogel Catalysts for PEM Fuel Cells
Authors: Job Nathalie , Lambert Stéphanie , Zubiaur Anthony , Cao Chongjiang , Pirard Jean-Paul
Published: January 2015

The design of efficient catalytic layers of proton exchange membrane fuel cells (PEMFCs) requires the preparation of highly-loaded and highly-dispersed Pt/C catalysts. During the last few years, our work focused on the preparation of Pt/carbon xerogel electrocatalysts, starting from simple impregnation techniques that were further optimized via the strong electrostatic adsorption (SEA) method to reach high dispersion and a high metal weight fraction. The SEA method, which consists of the optimization of the precursor/support electrostatic impregnation through an adequate choice of the impregnation pH with regard to the support surface chemistry, leads to very well-dispersed Pt/C samples with a maximum 8 wt.% Pt after drying and reduction under H2. To increase the metal loading, the impregnation-drying-reduction cycle of the SEA method can be repeated several times, either with fresh Pt precursor solution or with the solution recycled from the previous cycle. In each case, a high dispersion (Pt particle size ~3 nm) is obtained. Finally, the procedure can be simplified by combination of the SEA technique with dry impregnation, leading to no Pt loss during the procedure.
Halogen-Free Phosphonate Ionic Liquids as Precursors of Abrasion Resistant Surface Layers on AZ31B Magnesium Alloy
Authors: Espinosa Tulia , Sanes José , Bermúdez María-Dolores
Published: January 2015

Surface coatings formed by immersion in the ionic liquids (ILs) 1,3-dimethylimidazolium methylphosphonate (LMP101), 1-ethyl-3-methylimidazolium methylphosphonate (LMP102) and 1-ethyl-3-methylimidazolium ethylphosphonate (LEP102) on magnesium alloy AZ31B at 50 °C have been studied. The purpose of increasing the temperature was to reduce the immersion time, from 14 days at room temperature, to 48 hours at 50 °C. The abrasion resistance of the coated alloy was studied by microscratching under progressively increasing load, and compared with that of the uncoated material. The order of abrasion resistance as a function of the IL is LEP102 > LMP101 > LMP102, which is in agreement with the order obtained for the coatings grown at room temperature. The maximum reduction in penetration depth with respect to the uncovered alloy, of a 44.5%, is obtained for the sample treated with the ethylphosphonate LEP102. However, this reduction is lower than that obtained when the coating is grown at room temperature. This is attributed to the increased thickness and lower adhesion of the coatings obtained at 50 °C, particularly those obtained from methylphosphonate ionic liquids. The results are discussed from SEM-EDX and profilometry.
Educational Project for the Teaching of Control of Electric Traction Drives
Authors: Moreno-Torres Pablo , Blanco Marcos , Lafoz Marcos , Arribas Jaime
Published: January 2015

Electric vehicles constitute a multidisciplinary subject that involves disciplines such as automotive, mechanical, electrical and control engineering. Due to this multidisciplinary technical nature, practical teaching methodologies are of special relevance. Paradoxically, in the past, the training of engineers specializing in this area has lacked the practical component represented by field tests, due to the difficulty of accessing real systems. This paper presents an educational project specifically designed for the teaching and training of engineering students with different backgrounds and experience. The teaching methodology focuses on the topology of electric traction drives and their control. It includes two stages, a simulation computer model and a scaled laboratory workbench that comprises a traction electrical drive coupled to a vehicle emulator. With this equipment, the effectiveness of different traction control strategies can be analyzed from the point of view of energy efficiency, robustness, easiness of implementation and acoustic noise.
Multiple Myeloma and Glyphosate Use: A Re-Analysis of US Agricultural Health Study (AHS) Data
Authors: Sorahan Tom
Published: January 2015

A previous publication of 57,311 pesticide applicators enrolled in the US Agricultural Health Study (AHS) produced disparate findings in relation to multiple myeloma risks in the period 1993–2001 and ever-use of glyphosate (32 cases of multiple myeloma in the full dataset of 54,315 applicators without adjustment for other variables: rate ratio (RR) 1.1, 95% confidence interval (CI) 0.5 to 2.4; 22 cases of multiple myeloma in restricted dataset of 40,719 applicators with adjustment for other variables: RR 2.6, 95% CI 0.7 to 9.4). It seemed important to determine which result should be preferred. RRs for exposed and non-exposed subjects were calculated using Poisson regression; subjects with missing data were not excluded from the main analyses. Using the full dataset adjusted for age and gender the analysis produced a RR of 1.12 (95% CI 0.50 to 2.49) for ever-use of glyphosate. Additional adjustment for lifestyle factors and use of ten other pesticides had little effect (RR 1.24, 95% CI 0.52 to 2.94). There were no statistically significant trends for multiple myeloma risks in relation to reported cumulative days (or intensity weighted days) of glyphosate use. The doubling of risk reported previously arose from the use of an unrepresentative restricted dataset and analyses of the full dataset provides no convincing evidence in the AHS for a link between multiple myeloma risk and glyphosate use.
Intracellular Immunohistochemical Detection of Tetrodotoxin in Pleurobranchaea maculata (Gastropoda) and Stylochoplana sp. (Turbellaria)
Authors: Salvitti Lauren , Wood Susanna , Winsor Leigh , Cary Stephen
Published: January 2015

Tetrodotoxin (TTX), is a potent neurotoxin targeting sodium channels that has been identified in multiple marine and terrestrial organisms. It was recently detected in the Opisthobranch Pleurobranchaea maculata and a Platyhelminthes Stylochoplana sp. from New Zealand. Knowledge on the distribution of TTX within these organisms is important to assist in elucidating the origin and ecological role of this toxin. Intracellular micro-distribution of TTX was investigated using a monoclonal antibody-based immunoenzymatic technique. Tetrodotoxin was strongly localized in neutral mucin cells and the basement membrane of the mantle, the oocytes and follicles of the gonad tissue, and in the digestive tissue of P. maculata. The ova and pharynx were the only two structures to contain TTX in Stylochoplana sp. Using liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry, TTX was identified in the larvae and eggs, but not the gelatinous egg cases of P. maculata. Tetrodotoxin was present in egg masses of Stylochoplana sp. These data suggest that TTX has a defensive function in adult P. maculata, who then invest this in their progeny for protection. Localization in the digestive tissue of P. maculata potentially indicates a dietary source of TTX. Stylochoplana sp. may use TTX in prey capture and for the protection of offspring.
Adaptive Covariance Estimation Method for LiDAR-Aided Multi-Sensor Integrated Navigation Systems
Authors: Liu Shifei , Atia Mohamed , Gao Yanbin , Noureldin Aboelmagd
Published: January 2015

The accurate estimation of measurements covariance is a fundamental problem in sensors fusion algorithms and is crucial for the proper operation of filtering algorithms. This paper provides an innovative solution for this problem and realizes the proposed solution on a 2D indoor navigation system for unmanned ground vehicles (UGVs) that fuses measurements from a MEMS-grade gyroscope, speed measurements and a light detection and ranging (LiDAR) sensor. A computationally efficient weighted line extraction method is introduced, where the LiDAR intensity measurements are used, such that the random range errors and systematic errors due to surface reflectivity in LiDAR measurements are considered. The vehicle pose change is obtained from LiDAR line feature matching, and the corresponding pose change covariance is also estimated by a weighted least squares-based technique. The estimated LiDAR-based pose changes are applied as periodic updates to the Inertial Navigation System (INS) in an innovative extended Kalman filter (EKF) design. Besides, the influences of the environment geometry layout and line estimation error are discussed. Real experiments in indoor environment are performed to evaluate the proposed algorithm. The results showed the great consistency between the LiDAR-estimated pose change covariance and the true accuracy. Therefore, this leads to a significant improvement in the vehicle’s integrated navigation accuracy.
Tyrosine Sulfation as a Protein Post-Translational Modification
Authors: Yang Yuh-Shyong , Wang Chen-Chu , Chen Bo-Han , Hou You-Hua , Hung Kuo-Sheng , Mao Yi-Chih
Published: January 2015

Integration of inorganic sulfate into biological molecules plays an important role in biological systems and is directly involved in the instigation of diseases. Protein tyrosine sulfation (PTS) is a common post-translational modification that was first reported in the literature fifty years ago. However, the significance of PTS under physiological conditions and its link to diseases have just begun to be appreciated in recent years. PTS is catalyzed by tyrosylprotein sulfotransferase (TPST) through transfer of an activated sulfate from 3'-phosphoadenosine-5'-phosphosulfate to tyrosine in a variety of proteins and peptides. Currently, only a small fraction of sulfated proteins is known and the understanding of the biological sulfation mechanisms is still in progress. In this review, we give an introductory and selective brief review of PTS and then summarize the basic biochemical information including the activity and the preparation of TPST, methods for the determination of PTS, and kinetics and reaction mechanism of TPST. This information is fundamental for the further exploration of the function of PTS that induces protein-protein interactions and the subsequent biochemical and physiological reactions.
Integrated Resource Planning for Urban Waste Management
Authors: Giurco Damien , Herriman Jade , Turner Andrea , Mason Leah , White Stuart , Moore Dustin , Klostermann Frank
Published: January 2015

The waste hierarchy currently dominates waste management planning in Australia. It is effective in helping planners consider options from waste avoidance or “reduction” through to providing infrastructure for landfill or other “disposal”. However, it is inadequate for guiding context-specific decisions regarding sustainable waste management and resource recovery, including the ability for stakeholders to compare a range of options on an equal footing whilst considering their various sustainability impacts and trade-offs. This paper outlines the potential use of Integrated Resource Planning (IRP) as a decision-making approach for the urban waste sector, illustrated using an Australian case study. IRP is well established in both the water and energy sectors in Australia and internationally. It has been used in long-term planning enabling decision-makers to consider the potential to reduce resource use through efficiency alongside options for new infrastructure. Its use in the waste sector could address a number of the current limitations experienced by providing a broader context-sensitive, adaptive, and stakeholder focused approach to planning not present in the waste hierarchy and commonly used cost benefit analysis. For both efficiency and new infrastructure options IRP could be useful in assisting governments to make decisions that are consistent with agreed objectives while addressing costs of alternative options and uncertainty regarding their environmental and social impacts. This paper highlights various international waste planning approaches, differences between the sectors where IRP has been used and gives a worked example of how IRP could be applied in the Australian urban waste sector.
An Active Cooperation-Aware Spectrum Allocation Mechanism for Body Sensor Networks
Authors: Jiang Fu , Guo Ying , Peng Jun , Hu Jiankun
Published: January 2015

A cognitive radio-based spectrum allocation scheme using an active cooperative-aware mechanism is proposed in this paper. The scheme ensures that the primary user and secondary users cooperate actively for their own benefits. The primary user releases some spectrum resources to secondary users to actively stimulate them to actively join the cooperative transmission of the primary user, and secondary users help the primary user to relay data in return, as well as its self-data transmission at the same time. The Stackelberg game is used to evenly and jointly optimize the utilities of both the primary and secondary users. Simulation results show that the proposed active cooperation-aware mechanism could improve the body sensor network performance.
Ethanol Production from Enzymatically Treated Dried Food Waste Using Enzymes Produced On-Site
Authors: Matsakas Leonidas , Christakopoulos Paul
Published: January 2015

The environmental crisis and the need to find renewable fuel alternatives have made production of biofuels an important priority. At the same time, the increasing production of food waste is an important environmental issue. For this reason, production of ethanol from food waste is an interesting approach. Volumes of food waste are reduced and ethanol production does not compete with food production. In this work, we evaluated the possibility of using source-separated household food waste for the production of ethanol. To minimize the cost of ethanol production, the hydrolytic enzymes that are necessary for cellulose hydrolysis were produced in-house using the thermophillic fungus Myceliophthora thermophila. At the initial stage of the study, production of these thermophilic enzymes was studied and optimized, resulting in an activity of 0.28 FPU/mL in the extracellular broth. These enzymes were used to saccharify household food waste at a high dry material consistency of 30% w/w, followed by fermentation. Ethanol production reached 19.27 g/L with a volumetric productivity of 0.92 g/L·h, whereas only 5.98 g/L of ethanol was produced with a volumetric productivity of 0.28 g/L·h when no enzymatic saccharification was used.
Modelling bus delay at bus stop
Authors: Huo Yueying , Li Wenquan , Zhao Jinhua , Zhu Shoulin
Published: January 2015

A bus may be blocked from entering and exiting a stop by other buses and traffic lights. The objective of this paper is to model each type of delay under these phenomena and the overall delay a bus experiences at a stop. Occupy-based delay, transfer block-based delay and block-based delay are defined and modelled. Bus delay at stop is just the sum of these three types of delay. Bus arrival rate, bus service rate, berth number and traffic lights are taken into consideration when modelling delay. Occupy-based delay is modelled with mean waiting time in Queueing theory. Transfer block-based delay and block-based delay are modelled based on standard deviation of waiting time and the probabilities of their occurrences. Two stops in Vancouver, Canada are selected for parameter estimation and model validation. The unknown parameter is estimated as 0.4230 using Ordinary Least Squares (OLS), which indicates that 42.3% of waiting time variation can be attributed to buses being blocked by the buses in front and red light for the selected stops. Model validation shows the average accuracy rate of the proposed model is 75.07% for the selected stops. Bus delay at stop evidently increases when arrival rate is more than 85 buses per hour for the given service time (50 s), ratio of red time to cycle length (0.65) and berth number (2). We also figure out that bus delay at stop evidently increases when service time is more than 60 s for the given arrival rate (54 buses per hour), ratio of red time to cycle length (0.65) and berth number (2). The proposed model can provide a tool for bus stop design and offer the foundation for service quality evaluation of transit.
EVALUATION OF SPEED–FLOW CHARACTERISTICS ON TWO-LANE HIGHWAYS WITH MIXED TRAFFIC
Authors: Saha Pritam , Sarkar Ashoke Kumar , Pal Manish
Published: January 2015

The HCM (Highway Capacity Manual 2010) classifies two-lane rural highway that passes through developed
areas as ‘Class III’ and suggests using Percent Free-Flow Speed (PFFS) as performance measure to define Level Of Service (LOS). Apparently, this performance measure addresses the main limitation associated with using Average Travel Speed (ATS) as a measure of performance. However, larger speed differential under heterogeneous traffic causes error in estimating Free-Flow Speed (FFS) and thus affects PFFS. This implication was examined in the present study using field data collected on a national highway approaching a city. Speed–flow equations were developed and intercept values were compared to the FFS obtained according to HCM guidelines. Comparison confirms a very close agreement between average FFS value and those obtained for different types of vehicle separately except for car. This consequently causes an error in estimating PFFS since the traffic composition consists of significant proportion of car. The possible capacity of the highway section was observed to be around 2300 pc/h for mixed traffic situation.
Optimal location and size of logistics parks in a regional logistics network with economies of scale and CO2 emission taxes
Authors: Zhang Dezhi , Eglese Richard , Li Shuangyan
Published: January 2015

This paper proposes a model to address the design problem of a regional logistics network. In the proposed model, the decision variables include the location and size of logistics parks. The interaction between the logistics authority and logistics users as well as the effects of economies of scale and CO2 emission taxes on the logistics network design are explicitly considered. The proposed model is formulated as a bi-level formulation, in which the upper level aims to maximize total social welfare of the system by determining the optimal location and size of logistics parks with CO2 emission taxes consideration, whereas the lower level describes the logistics users’ choices for service routes. A heuristic solution algorithm is presented to solve the proposed model, and a numerical example is given to illustrate the applications of the proposed model and solution algorithm. The findings show that the optimal location and size of logistics parks depend on the realized logistics demand and the level of the economies of scale. The CO2 emission taxation can help to improve the total social welfare of the system and drive the logistics users to choose greener transportation modes.
Expertise et recherche chinoises sur l'Afrique
Authors: Bassan Martina
Published: January 2015

Plus de cinquante ans après la création du premier institut sur l’Afrique à l’époque maoïste, la recherche sur l’Afrique en Chine a perdu son orientation idéologique des origines et est devenue une discipline académique ouverte à des questions plus en ligne avec les problématiques contemporaines. Le profil des experts sur l’Afrique a aussi profondément changé. Si les anciens ne pouvaient connaître l’Afrique qu’à travers les livres qu’ils traduisaient, les experts actuels peuvent profiter d’un large éventail d’opportunités financières et de formation. Cependant, leur expertise demeure encore inachevée, et se trouve aujourd’hui obligée de composer avec son succès soudain. Ses développements dans les années à venir dépendront du processus de recrutements des experts dans les centres de recherche existants, ainsi que des choix de carrière des étudiants actuels.
Pour un vitalisme critique
Authors: Worms Frédéric
Published: January 2015

La vie n’est pas une essence fixe, une valeur absolue, n’en déplaise à ceux qui s’en font aujourd’hui les chantres. Ce qui est irréductible dans le vivant, ce sont les différences, les résistances, les relations ; mais le vivant demeure, on ne peut en faire abstraction. Plutôt que d’opposer la vie à quelque chose qui lui est extérieur (la mort, l’esprit, la liberté), il faut analyser ces contradictions au sein même du vivant.
De Philadelphie à Ferguson
Authors: Béja Alice
Published: January 2015

Lors de l’élection de Barack Obama, certains ont pu croire au dépassement des questions raciales aux États-Unis ; l’illusion a bien vite été brisée. Ces dernières années, le retentissement médiatique de la mort de jeunes hommes noirs, tués par des policiers, a remis sur le devant de la scène la question du racisme de la société américaine, occultée par la présence d’un Noir à la Maison-Blanche.
La politique de l'innovation en Russie ou l'impératif de réformes dans une économie de rente, quelques pistes de réflexion
Authors: Achermann Guillem
Published: January 2015

L’économie de rente est une économie fragilisée par la concentration de son système productif sur un secteur en particulier. A la recherche d’une plus grande diversification pour renforcer sa performance économique, l’enjeu d’un pays possédant une économie de rente est de rééquilibrer son système productif national. A l’échelle nationale, la politique d’innovation peut servir de passerelle pour reconfigurer certains secteurs productifs pouvant réorienter l’ensemble de la structure productive. Ainsi, en renforçant le système national d’innovation et en octroyant aux politiques d’innovation un rôle moteur dans le développement d’un pays, l’État peut théoriquement atténuer les effets de la rente. Cependant, un système national d’innovation, c’est avant tout un réseau d’institutions capables de favoriser le développement d’activités d’innovation au niveau sectoriel et/ou territorial. Dès lors, c’est tant la capacité d’absorption de connaissances du système national d’innovation que la fluidité de l’information véhiculée par les interrelations des acteurs du processus d’innovation qui est mis à l’épreuve. Dans le cas de la Russie, la croissance économique se base essentiellement sur les recettes de ses exportations d’hydrocarbures. Même si le pays a hérité d’une majeure partie du parc industriel soviétique et de son système scientifique et technique, l’économie russe n’a, depuis sa transition économique des années 1990, pas réussi à instaurer durablement une économie de la connaissance et de l’innovation. Afin de se prévenir d’un syndrome hollandais persistant, la Russie s’efforce de réorganiser son système productif et de valoriser le «  réservoir  » de connaissances acquis pendant la période soviétique en accordant aux activités d’innovation une dimension primordiale pour le développement économique et social du pays. Mais les multiples institutions (réformées et nouvelles) découlant de la transition économique des années 1990 ont modifié les dynamiques organisationnelles de l’ancien système productif soviétique. Dès lors, il s’agit pour l’État de rééquilibrer la structure du système productif national au travers d’une politique d’innovation capable d’intégrer les dynamiques institutionnelles des multiples systèmes productifs locaux.
Echelles de conflits et de compromis dans la transformation économique post-socialiste : le cas de l'insertion des exploitations russes et bulgares dans une filière laitière internationalisée
Authors: Grouiez Pascal , Koleva Petia
Published: January 2015

L’article analyse les difficultés de la transformation agricole en Russie et en Bulgarie en adoptant une grille d’analyse institutionnaliste mettant en évidence des conflits liés à la propriété, à l’efficacité productive et à des objectifs sociaux pendant la transition. Il s’intéresse aux principaux acteurs « diffuseurs de règles institutionnelles » et à leur rôle dans la résolution des conflits à différentes échelles (nationale ou locale). Il apparaît qu’en Russie la diversité des politiques agricoles régionales menées depuis vingt ans conduit à une importante disparité dans le développement économique agricole des territoires. L’entrée de firmes internationales dans certaines filières accentue ce processus de diversification des exploitations agricoles, comme en témoigne l’exemple de la filière laitière. En Bulgarie, la modernisation de la filière se heurte à l’héritage de la restitution des terres que les politiques européennes post-adhésion auront du mal à corriger dans les années qui viennent.
Project Control, Capital Policy Instruments and the Strategies of Excess Value Creation
Authors: Amedzro St-Hilaire Walter
Published: January 2015

L’article cerne avec pertinence, les conséquences de la redistribution des investissements dans les entreprises fondées sur des formes atypiques de capital, telles que la technologie, dans un contexte de transition vers une économie de marché : le capital et la compétitivité étant définis sur la base d’outils de politiques sur les fonds propres, conçus par les décisionnaires. L’analyse révèle un effet négatif de la redistribution de la valeur excédentaire créée par les entreprises utilisant leur capital de compétitivité. Cette preuve empirique soutient que l’effet tunnel induit par la réallocation des investissements est hautement significatif dans une entreprise basée sur un capital de compétitivité. Une fois la rentabilité, l’utilisation des actifs et les opportunités de croissance contrôlées, l’effet tunnel de la redistribution devient hautement significatif dans toute entreprise, indépendamment du type de capital sur lequel elle est fondée. Cette idée conforte l’étude affirmant que l’effet tunnel est une part du profit nonopérationnel.
A joint stock assessment for the anchovy stock of the northern and central Adriatic Sea: comparison of two catch-at-age models
Authors: Carpi Piera , Santojanni Alberto , Donato Fortunata , Colella Sabrina , Čikeš Keč Vanja , Zorica Barbara , Leonori Iole , De Felice Andrea , Tičina Vjekoslav , Modic Tomaž , Arneri Enrico
Published: January 2015

Anchovy (Engraulis encrasicolus, L.) is one of the most important commercial species of the northern and central Adriatic Sea, as well as one of the most productive fisheries in the whole Mediterranean. In the Adriatic Sea the stock of anchovy is shared between Italy, Croatia and Slovenia. A joint stock assessment was carried out using catch data from all the fleets for the time interval 1975-2009. Analyses were performed using estimates of natural mortality at age obtained by means of two different methods and two population dynamics methods based on the analysis of catch-at-age data: Laurec-Sheperd virtual population analysis (VPA) and integrated catch-at-age (ICA), both tuned to acoustic estimates of abundance. Gislason’s estimates for natural mortality appeared to be more realistic and were thus preferred for short-lived species. The general trend of biomass and fishing mortality is similar for the two models, highlighting the major collapse of the stock in 1987. Nevertheless, ICA has enough flexibility to combine all the data available without adding too much complexity in comparison with a VPA approach and seems to perform better in terms of the spawning stock biomass/recruitment relationship and diagnostics (i.e. the retrospective pattern). For the stock status, the exploitation rate from ICA is higher than the suggested threshold of 0.4 proposed by Patterson for small pelagic species.
Composition and abundance of octocorals in the Sea of Marmara, where the Mediterranean meets the Black Sea
Authors: Topçu Eda N. , Öztürk Bayram
Published: January 2015

Species composition and abundance of octocoral assemblages were investigated in the Sea of Marmara, which forms the connection between the Mediterranean and the Black Seas, two semi-enclosed seas with peculiar oceanographic conditions. Fourteen octocoral species were collected in the saline layer of the Marmara Sea (20-40 m), with a mean coral abundance of 5.21±5.11 colonies m–2 (mean ± SD) calculated from a total of 1390 colonies counted in transects. In spite of severe anthropogenic disturbances, dense assemblages of corals/gorgonians were observed during this study. The coralligenous communities—one of the most valuable structures of the Mediterranean Sea—harbored either Eunicella cavolini or Paramuricea macrospina as the dominant gorgonian in the Marmara Sea. Furthermore, the gorgonian assemblages of the Marmara Sea differed from those of the Mediterranean in their high abundance of P. macrospina and Spinimuricea klavereni, two species rarely encountered in the Mediterranean Sea at the studied depth range. The factors behind the observed differences are discussed in regard to the particular oceanographic conditions of the Marmara Sea. Finally, we revised the main threats to corals/gorgonians in the Marmara Sea and provided some insights on management recommendations for coral conservation in this area.
Spatial distribution and population structure of fiddler crabs in an Indian Sundarban mangrove
Authors: Sen Shilpa , Homechaudhuri Sumit
Published: January 2015

Brachyuran crabs constitute the most abundant faunal component of mangrove ecosystems and support a wide range of ecosystem services. In the present study, seasonal variation of population density and biomass along with demographic categories and sex ratios of four species of fiddler crabs (Uca rosea, Uca triangularis, Uca dussumieri and Uca vocans) from Jhorkhali Island in the Sundarban mangrove were studied in relation to some major environmental parameters (salinity, nutrient content, soil organic carbon, dissolved oxygen, total dissolved solute, etc.) during bimonthly sampling for three consecutive years (2010-2012). Maximum population density and biomass of the ocypodid crabs were recorded during the pre-monsoonal month and minimum values during the monsoon. Different peaks in reproductive activity were observed among seasonal breeders (U. triangularis, U. dussumieri). For U. vocans, the sex ratio peaks declined during the ovigerous period. All four populations were characterized by significantly more males than females. Multiple regression analysis suggested a cumulative effect of several ecological parameters on seasonal fluctuations of the crab population. Breeding periodicity might be controlled by a combination of factors, including temperature, quality of the substratum, food availability for the adult and larval stages, and intertidal zonations.
Two Factor Authentication using M-pin Server for Secure Cloud Computing Environment
Authors: Nagar Nitin , Suman Ugrasen
Published: January 2015

Cloud computing is comprised of major demand from the every group of organization because of easy availability and cost effectiveness. The responsibilities of cloud service providers will become increasing more due to the great progression in every cloud computing deployment model (public, private and hybrid) and service models (SaaS, PaaS and IaaS). In this perspective, cloud computing faces multiple challenges, especially in cloud computing security at all levels (e.g., host, network, application and data levels). Authentication is the constantly the biggest concerned for IT industries to adopt cloud computing environment. The availability, performance, key logger attack, malicious insiders, outsider attacks and service disruptions explore (service hijacking) issues are the key research challenges in the cloud computing authentication level. In this aspect, traditional user name and password is not enough as a single factor (first factor). This paper has proposed a secure cloud computing framework which uses first factor as a crypt user name and password with the ATM pin as a second factor called M-pin. The proposed work focuses on a solution to the threats that are the major issues in the cloud adoption.
Magnetotactic Bacteria Optimization Algorithm Based On Four Best-Rand Pairwise Schemes
Authors: Mo Hongwei , Xu Lifang , Liu Lili , Zhao Yanyan
Published: January 2015

Magnetotactic bacteria optimization algorithm (MBOA) is an optimization algorithm based on the characteristics of magnetotactic bacteria, which is a kind of polyphyletic group of prokaryotes with the characteristics of magnetotaxis that make them orient and swim along geomagnetic field lines. MBOA mimics the development process of magnetosomes (MTSs) in magnetotactic bacteria to solve problems. In this paper, four improved MBOAs are researched. Four pairwise MTSs regulation schemes based on the best individual and randomly chosen one are proposed in order to study which scheme is more suitable for solving optimization problems. They are tested on fourteen standard function problems and compared with many popular optimization algorithms, including PSO, DE, ABC and their variants. Experimental results show that all the schemes of MBOA are effective for solving most of the benchmark functions, but have different performance on a few benchmark functions. The fourth MBOA scheme has superior performance to the compared methods on many benchmark functions.
Strictness Petroleum Prediction System Based on Fuzzy Model
Authors: Ghallab Senan A. , Badr Nagwa. L. , Salem Abdel Badeeh , Tolba M. F.
Published: January 2015

Petroleum exploration and production is an industry that provides researchers with multi-variant challenging “real world” properties. Recently, some petroleum soft computing techniques have gained a greater interest in prediction within the oil industry. This paper is interested in the analysis, classifying, mining and predictions, based on fuzzy as an intelligent system and an intelligent system called the Strictness Petroleum Prediction System (SPPS), predicted results and statues of crude oil wells and they are compared with other measurement petroleum values. The evaluation study applies test cases, regression models and time series forecasting of vague petroleum datasets to achieve more accurate results. A regression model was made to show the effect of re-testing the prediction processes of petroleum factors. Prediction in time series using a non-parametric functional technique is considered, based on data which was collected from different sources (Daqing oilfield in China and distinct oilfields in Yemen).
HRCT in cystic fibrosis in patients with CFTR I1234V mutation: Assessment of scoring systems with low dose technique using multidetector system and correlation with pulmonary function tests
Authors: Bhat Venkatraman , Wahab Atiqa Abdul , Garg Kailash C , Janahi Ibrahim , Singh Rajvir
Published: January 2015

Background and Aims: Pulmonary changes in patients with cystic fibrosis (CF) with CFTR I1234V mutation have not been extensively documented. Impact of geographic influence on phenotypical expression is largely unknown. This descriptive clinical study presents the high-resolution computed tomography (HRCT) pulmonary findings and computed tomography (CT) scoring with respect to pulmonary function tests (PFT) in a small subset of CF group. Materials and Methods: We examined 29 patients between 2 and 31 years of age with CFTR I1234V mutation. HRCT and PFT were performed within 2 weeks of each other. Imaging abnormalities on HRCT were documented and analyzed by utilizing the scoring system described by Bhalla et al., Brody et al., Helbich et al.,and Santamaria et al. Efficacy of the scoring system with respect to PFT was compared. Statistical Analysis: Inter-observer reliability of the scoring systems was tested using intraclass correlation (ICC) between the two observers. Spearman correlation coefficients were calculated between the scoring systems and between the scoring systems and PFT results. Results: In our study, right upper and middle lobes were the most frequently involved sites of involvement. Bronchiectasis and peribronchial thickening were the most frequent imaging findings. Scores with all four scoring systems were reproducible, with good ICC coefficient of 0.69. There was good agreement between senior radiologists in all scoring systems. Conclusion: We noted pulmonary imaging abnormalities in a large majority (96%) of our CF patients. There was no significant difference in the CT scores observed from various systems. The CT evaluation system by Broody is detailed and time consuming, and is ideal for research and academic setup. On the other hand, the systems by Bhalla and Santamaria are easy to use, quick, and equally informative. We found the scoring system by Santamaria preferable over that of Bhalla by virtue of additional points of evaluation and ease of use, and therefore better suited for busy clinical practice.
Thoracic psammomatous spinal meningioma with osseous metaplasia: A very rare case report
Authors: Prakash Akhil , Mishra Shashank , Tyagi Ruchi , Attri Prakash , Bhatnagar Amit , Kansal Sandeep
Published: January 2015

Thoracic spinal psammomatous meningioma is a rare subtype of meningioma. Among diverse types of mesenchymal differentiation, osseous metaplasia is found to be still rarer. We are presenting a new case of thoracic psammomatous spinal meningioma with osseous metaplasia in a middle aged female which that gives a sense of cancellous bone in the spinal canal. To conclude, meningiomas with osseous metaplasia are very rare tumors that complicate the surgical removal in certain cases. Ossification, if predicted prior to operation with computed tomography reconstruction, makes planning of removal easier. In our case, maintained cerebrospinal fluid spaces despite hard consistency of tumor made its removal easier once cerebrospinal fluid was drained. We have submitted this article because it is very rare and curable pathology and preoperative diagnosis helps in prevention of neurological injury during its excision.
Philosophical Interactions between "East and West": China, Korea, Europe and the Case of Dasan (Jeong Yak-yong, 1762–1836)
Authors: ROŠKER Jana S.
Published: January 2015

Though the Confucian system of thought, society, and government has a long history in Korea, Chinese Confucian scholars, preoccupied with the urgency of “saving the Confucian essence” used only Japan as a reference in Asia. Therefore, the present article aims to introduce Dasan 茶山 (Jeong Yak-yong 정약용, 1762–1836), who was one of the main representatives of Korean Confucian philosophy. It exposes his significance for the full-range understanding of the landscape of this important traditional East Asian stream of thought as well as for the intellectual syntheses between Confucian teachings and the Christian religion. The author analyses Dasan’s thought from the Sinological perspective and exposes several elements which represent an elaboration and an upgrading of traditional Chinese Neo-Confucian philosophy.
Fang Dongmeijeva filozofija ustvarjalnega kozmosa
Authors: ROŠKER Jana S.
Published: January 2015

Fang Dongmei (1899–1977) je eden osrednjih predstavnikov druge generacije modernega konfucijanstva, četudi se sam nikoli ni izrecno izrekel samo za konfucijanca, temveč je vselej poudarjal, da je po duši poleg tega tudi daoist in budist. Vsekakor je teoretski doprinos tega, na zahodu še vedno precej neznanega modernega filozofa k moderni kitajski filozofiji vreden podrobnejše obravnave. Pričujoči članek se osredotoča predvsem na analizo in interpretacijo ontoloških in epistemoloških vidikov njegove filozofije, pri čemer so v ospredju njegovi koncepti celostne harmonije, konfucijanskega moralnega sebstva, ustvarjalne ustvarjalnosti, enotnosti dejstev in vrednot, ter razuma in intuicije.
Parenting style and locus of control, motivation, and school adaptation among students with borderline intellectual functioning
Authors: Jankowska Anna Maria , Takagi Anna , Bogdanowicz Marta , Jonak Jolanta
Published: January 2015

Background
 Parenting style impacts children’s psychosocial development. Students with borderline intellectual functioning (BIF) are especially sensitive to the quality of parental care. The objective of this study was to compare parenting styles of mothers of children with BIF and mothers of typically developing peers, and establish associations between parenting styles and children’s psychosocial traits, which determine their school functioning.

 Participants and procedure
 Forty-two primary school students in Grades 4 to 6, their teachers, and mothers participated in the study. Based on their IQ level they comprised two groups: students with BIF (criterion group; n = 21) and students with average IQ (comparison group; n = 21). A series of measures were used to assess mothers’ parenting style and students’ psychosocial traits. Questionnaires measuring students’ psychosocial pro­perties were administered to children and their teachers in order to compare their perspectives.

 Results
 Mothers of children with BIF in comparison to mothers in the control group presented greater inclinations towards over-parenting. Based on self-reports, students with BIF did not differ from their typically developing classmates in terms of school motivation, anxiety, locus of control, or social adjustment, despite their lower academic performance. According to teachers, students with BIF had significantly lower school motivation and delayed socialization. For students with BIF but not for the comparison group, a negative correlation was found between mothers’ tendency to dominate over their child and students’ locus of control and school motivation.

 Conclusions
 Children with BIF are especially sensitive to the quality of mothers’ parenting style, which can have an adverse effect on their school adjustment.
Development of physical competence through motor skill acquisition for children and youth with disabilities: Parental perceptions
Authors: Sue Hurley Kimberly , Lee Burt Tammy
Published: January 2015

Background

Parents are integral social agents in children’s physical activity choices and involvement providing direct (feedback) and indirect (providing opportunities) competence information as well as multiple levels of support for activity engagement. Research is scant on parent perceptions and/or expectations specific to physical competencies and activity experiences among children with disabilities. The objective of this study was to capture parent perceptions of their child’s physical competencies and physical activity experiences and any changes in perceptions as their child navigated learning cycling skills.

Participants and procedure

Parents/guardians who had children enrolled in an adapted cycling camp participated in the pre- and post-focus group discussions (N = 14). Children’s disabilities were developmental delay, Down syndrome, and autism spectrum disorder. Questions focused on parent perceptions about their child’s physical activity experiences and thoughts and feelings about those experiences.

Results

Main themes emerged from pre- and post-camp sessions. Pre-camp themes highlighted the child’s past physical activity involvement (ex. barriers, opportunities). Incentives and motivations to participation and diminished perceptions of their child’s abilities were the other main themes. Post-camp themes revealed child’s reactions to the camp experience, effective pedagogy, benefits for learning to cycle and parent perceptions for child’s success.

Conclusions

Introducing children with disabilities to physical activities that are both challenging and provide successful experiences contribute positively to parents’ perceptions and expectations for activity. Parents see the benefits of effective pedagogy for learning physical skills, importance of adapted equipment in skill acquisition, competence, and confidence. Parents can be hopeful in future physical activity choices and opportunities for their children.
Dynamics of neuroticism in the healing process of individuals addicted to alcohol
Authors: Bętkowska-Korpała Barbara
Published: January 2015

Background

Neuroticism conceptualised in the Five-Factor Personality Model indicates the level of adaptation. The objective of the study was to determine the dynamics of changes in neuroticism in association with the treatment of addiction to alcohol, and to compare these changes in the case of individuals maintaining a year-long abstinence and those who resumed the consumption of alcohol.

Participants and procedure

We conducted longitudinal studies. The first assessment was conducted on a group of 977 individuals. Neurotic traits were measured using the NEO-PI-R inventory at the initial stage of the treatment. During the second stage (after a year), the participants were tested again using the NEO-PI-R inventory. Abstinence was assessed on the basis of an interview, and we selected two subgroups: the ABS subgroup of patients succeeding in abstaining for a year (n = 116), and the nABS subgroup of non-abstainers (n = 73). In order to evaluate the dynamics of personality change in the scope of neurotic traits, the two-factor analysis of variance (ANOVA) was used; the analysis involved one factor of the repeated assessment and one inter-group factor.

Results

Only those results that pointed to significant effects of change (η2p > .06) are described. Unlike in the nABS group, high variability was noted for Neuroticism (N: p < .001, η2p = .18) in the ABS group. Furthermore, in the ABS group, in contrast to the nABS group, there was a great decrease in constituent levels: N3 – Depression (p < .001, η2p = .13), N6 – Vulnerability (p < .001, η2p = .13), N1 – Anxiety (p < .001, η2p = .11), and N4 – Self-consciousness (p < .001, η2p = .10).

Conclusions

It has been established that neuroticism decreases in the case of patients who maintain abstinence for a year, which improves their ability to adapt. This change can make patients experience negative emotional states less frequently, and cope better in stressful situations. The level of depression is lowered, and impulse control improves, but only in the case of patients who have abstained from alcohol for a year.