bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Attacker Control and Impact for Confidentiality and Integrity
Authors: Askarov Aslan , Myers Andrew
Published: November 2014

Language-based information flow methods offer a principled way to enforce
strong security properties, but enforcing noninterference is too inflexible for
realistic applications. Security-typed languages have therefore introduced
declassification mechanisms for relaxing confidentiality policies, and
endorsement mechanisms for relaxing integrity policies. However, a continuing
challenge has been to define what security is guaranteed when such mechanisms
are used. This paper presents a new semantic framework for expressing security
policies for declassification and endorsement in a language-based setting. The
key insight is that security can be characterized in terms of the influence
that declassification and endorsement allow to the attacker. The new framework
introduces two notions of security to describe the influence of the attacker.
Attacker control defines what the attacker is able to learn from observable
effects of this code; attacker impact captures the attacker's influence on
trusted locations. This approach yields novel security conditions for checked
endorsements and robust integrity. The framework is flexible enough to recover
and to improve on the previously introduced notions of robustness and qualified
robustness. Further, the new security conditions can be soundly enforced by a
security type system. The applicability and enforcement of the new policies is
illustrated through various examples, including data sanitization and
authentication.
Kripke Semantics for Martin-L\"of's Extensional Type Theory
Authors: Awodey Steve , Rabe Florian
Published: November 2014

It is well-known that simple type theory is complete with respect to non-standard set-valued models. Completeness for standard models only holds with respect to certain extended classes of models, e.g., the class of cartesian closed categories. Similarly, dependent type theory is complete for locally cartesian closed categories. However, it is usually difficult to establish the coherence of interpretations of dependent type theory, i.e., to show that the interpretations of equal expressions are indeed equal. Several classes of models have been used to remedy this problem. We contribute to this investigation by giving a semantics that is standard, coherent, and sufficiently general for completeness while remaining relatively easy to compute with. Our models interpret types of Martin-L\"of's extensional dependent type theory as sets indexed over posets or, equivalently, as fibrations over posets. This semantics can be seen as a generalization to dependent type theory of the interpretation of intuitionistic first-order logic in Kripke models. This yields a simple coherent model theory, with respect to which simple and dependent type theory are sound and complete.
Co-c.e. spheres and cells in computable metric spaces
Authors: Iljazovic Zvonko
Published: November 2014

We investigate conditions under which a co-computably enumerable set in a
computable metric space is computable. Using higher-dimensional chains and
spherical chains we prove that in each computable metric space which is locally
computable each co-computably enumerable sphere is computable and each co-c.e.
cell with co-c.e. boundary sphere is computable.
The Ortho-Plastic Approach to Soft Tissue Management in Trauma
Authors: Jordan Daniel J , Malahias Marco , Khan Wasim , Hindocha Sandip
Published: November 2014

Fractures with associated soft tissue injuries, or those termed ‘open,’ are not uncommon. There has been much discussion regarding there management, with the guidance from the combined British Orthopaedic Association and British Association and Aesthetic Surgeons teams widely accepted as the gold level of therapy. We aim to discuss the current evidence about the initial management of this group of injuries, taking a journey from arrival in the accident and emergency department through to the point of definitive closure. Other modes of therapy are also reviewed.
Flap Decisions and Options in Soft Tissue Coverage of the Upper Limb
Authors: Griffin Michelle , Hindocha Sandip , Malahias Marco , Saleh Mohamed , Juma Ali
Published: November 2014

Soft tissue deficiency in the upper limb is a common presentation following trauma, burns infection and tumour removal. Soft tissue coverage of the upper limb is a challenging problem for reconstructive surgeons to manage. The ultimate choice of soft tissue coverage will depend on the size and site of the wound, complexity of the injury, status of surrounding tissue, exposure of the vital structures and health status of the patient. There are several local cutaneous flaps that provide adequate soft tissue coverage for small sized defects of the hand, forearm and arm. When these flaps are limited in their mobility regional flaps and free flaps can be utilised. Free tissue transfer provides vascularised soft tissue coverage in addition to the transfer of bone, nerve and tendons. Careful consideration of free flap choice, meticulous intraoperative dissection and elevation accompanied by post-operative physiotherapy are required for successful outcomes for the patient. Several free flaps are available for reconstruction in the upper limb including the groin flap, anterolateral flap, radial forearm flap, lateral arm flap and scapular flap. In this review we will provide local, regional and free flap choice options for upper limb reconstruction, highlighting the benefits and challenges of different approaches.
Comparative study of the fungicide Benomyl toxicity on some plant growth promoting bacteria and some fungi in pure cultures
Authors: Elslahi Randa H. , Osman Awad G. , Sherif Ashraf M. , Elhussein Adil A.
Published: November 2014

Six laboratory experiments were carried out to investigate the effect of the fungicide Benomyl on pure cultures of some plant growth promoting bacteria (PGPB) and some fungi. The highest LD50 was recorded for Bacillus circulans and proved to be the most resistant to the fungicide, followed by Azospirillum braziliense, while Penicillium sp. was the most affected microorganism. LD50 values for the affected microorganisms were in 21-240 orders of magnitude lower in comparison with the LD50 value for Azospirillum braziliense. The results indicate a strong selectivity for Benomyl against Rhizobium meliloti and Penicillium sp. when compared to other microorganisms tested. The highest safety coefficient was recorded for Bacillus circulans followed by Azospirillum braziliense, while Rhizobium meliloti, showed the lowest safety coefficient value compared to other bacteria. The lowest toxicity index was recorded for Bacillus circulans and Azospirillum braziliense. The slope of the curves for Bacillus sp. and Rhizobium meliloti was steeper than that of the other curves, suggesting that even a slight increase of the dose of the fungicide can cause a very strong negative effect. In conclusion, Benomyl could be applied without restriction when using inocula based on growth promoting bacteria such as symbiotic nitrogen fixers (Rhizobium meliloti), non-symbiotic nitrogen fixers (Azospirillum braziliense) or potassium solibilizers (Bacillus circulans), given that the fungicide is applied within the range of the recommended field dose.
Exposure-dependent variation in cryolite induced lethality in the nontarget insect, Drosophila melanogaster
Authors: Podder Sayanti , Roy Sumedha
Published: November 2014

The starting point of toxicity testing of any chemical in an organism is the determination of its Lethal Concentration 50 (LC50). In the present study, LC50 of a fluorinated insecticide cryolite is determined in a non-target insect model, Drosophila melanogaster. Interestingly, the result shows that acute LC50 of cryolite was much greater in comparison to the chronic one in case of Drosophila larvae. Larvae which were exposed to 65,000 to 70,000 μg/ml cryolite through food showed 50% mortality after 18 hours of acute exposure, whereas only 150 to 160 μg/ml cryolite was sufficient to cause 50% mortality in case of chronic exposure. Thus cryolite in a small amount when applied once cannot produce noticeable changes in Drosophila, whereas the same amount when used continuously can be fatal. The non-feeding pupal stage was also seen to be affected by chemical treatment. This suggests that the test chemical affects the developmental fate and results in failure of adult emergence. Absence of chemical-induced mortality in adults assumes that the toxicity of cryolite might be restricted to the preimaginal stages of the organism. Reduction in body size of larvae after ingestion of cryolite (with food) in acute treatment schedule is another interesting finding of this study. Some individuals consuming cryolite containing food cannot survive whereas the few survivors manifest a significant growth retardation which might be due to a tendency of refusal in feeding. Hence the present findings provide a scope of assessment of risk of other similar non-target groups
“In Harmony with Reason”: John Duns Scotus’s Theo-aesth/ethics
Authors: Bychkov Oleg
Published: November 2014

Over the past two decades, the debate has intensified over the nature of John Duns Scotus’s (meta) ethics: is it a purely voluntarist “divine command” ethics or is it still based on rational principles? The former side is exemplified by Thomas Williams and the latter by Allan Wolter. Scotus claims that even the divine commandments that are not based on natural law are still somehow “in harmony with reason.” But what does this mean? Richard Cross in a recent study claims that God’s reasons for establishing certain moral norms are “aesthetic.” However, he fails to show clearly what is “aesthetic” about these reasons or why God’s will would follow “aesthetic” principles in legislating moral norms. This article clarifies both points, first, by painting an up-to-date picture of what constitutes “aesthetic” principles, and second, by providing a more accurate model of the way the human volitional faculty operates and addressing the problem of the “freedom of the will” from a present-day point of view.
BM-Algebras and related topics
Authors: Walendziak Andrzej
Published: November 2014

Some connections between BM-algebras and its related topics are studied. It is proved that the class of medial BH-algebras coincides with the class of BM-algebras. Moreover, the congruence lattice of a BM-algebra is investigated.
The generalized q-Pilbert matrix
Authors: Kiliç Emrah , Prodinger Helmut
Published: November 2014

A generalized q-Pilbert matrix from[KILIÇ, E.-PRODINGER, H.: The q-Pilbert matrix, Int. J. Comput. Math. 89 (2012), 1370–1377] is further generalized, introducing one additional parameter. Explicit formulæ are derived for the LU-decomposition and their inverses, as well as the Cholesky decomposition. The approach is to use q-analysis and to leave the justification of the necessary identities to the q-version of Zeilberger’s celebrated algorithm. However, the necessary identities have appeared already in disguised form in the paper referred above, so that no new computations are necessary.
Translation, Cross-cultural Adaptation, and Psychometric Properties of the German Version of the Hip Disability and Osteoarthritis Outcome Score
Authors: Blasimann Angela , Dauphinee Sharon Wood , Staal J. Bart
Published: November 2014

Study Design

Clinical measurement.

Objectives

To translate and cross-culturally adapt the Hip disability and Osteoarthritis Outcome Score (HOOS) from English into German, and to study its psychometric properties in patients after hip surgery.

Background

There is no specific hip questionnaire in German that not only measures symptoms and function but also contains items about hip-related quality of life.

Methods

The translation and cross-cultural adaptation involved forward translation, harmonization, cognitive debriefing, back translation, and comparison to the original HOOS following international guidelines. The German version was tested in 51 Swiss inpatients 8 weeks after different types of hip surgery, mainly total hip replacement. The mean age of the participants was 62.5 years, and the age range was from 27 to 87 years. Thirty (58.8%) of the participants were women. Internal consistency and test-retest reliability were estimated using Cronbach alpha and intraclass correlation coefficients for agreement. For construct validity, total scores of the German HOOS were correlated with those of the Western Ontario and McMaster Universities Osteoarthritis Index. The HOOS was also compared to the Medical Outcomes Study 36-Item Short-Form Health Survey.

Results

Cronbach alpha values for all German HOOS subscales were between .87 and .93. For test-retest reliability, the intraclass correlation coefficient for agreement was 0.85 for the total scores of the German HOOS. The Spearman rho for the Medical Outcomes Study 36-Item Short-Form Health Survey physical functioning subscale compared to the sum of all HOOS subscales was 0.71, and that for the Medical Outcomes Study 36-Item Short-Form Health Survey physical component summary was 0.97.

Conclusion

The German HOOS has demonstrated adequate reliability and validity. Use of the German HOOS is recommended for assessment of patients after hip surgery, with the proviso that additional psychometric testing should be done in future research. J Orthop Sports Phys Ther 2014;44(12):989–997. Epub 13 November 2014. doi:10.2519/jospt.2014.4994
Validity of the QuickDASH in Patients With Shoulder-Related Disorders Undergoing Surgery
Authors: Macdermid Joy C. , Khadilkar Leenesh , Birmingham Trevor B. , Athwal George S.
Published: November 2014

Study Design

Validity study.

Objective

To determine the validity of the shortened version of the Disabilities of the Arm, Shoulder and Hand questionnaire (QuickDASH) in comparison to the full DASH in patients undergoing total shoulder arthroplasty (TSA) and rotator cuff repair (RCR).

Background

The QuickDASH is a shorter version of the DASH that may reduce respondent burden while retaining similar measurement properties.

Methods

One hundred thirty-two patients undergoing TSA or RCR were assessed at baseline and at 3 and 6 months postoperatively. The patients completed the DASH, American Shoulder and Elbow Surgeons Standardized Shoulder Assessment Form self-report section, and the Western Ontario Rotator Cuff index, and were tested to determine their shoulder range of motion and isometric strength. The differences between scores on the DASH and QuickDASH across the scale range were evaluated using the Bland-Altman technique. Item difficulty, correlations with other patient-reported outcome measures, and physical impairments were used to assess validity. Known group validity was assessed by examining differentiation of work status. Responsiveness was assessed through standardized response means.

Results

QuickDASH scores were slightly higher than DASH scores, with a mean difference of 1 to 1.3 points for the TSA group and 1 to 3 points for the RCR group tested preoperatively, and at 3 months and 6 months postoperatively, although limits of agreement were wide (ranging from −10 to 13 across all estimates). The QuickDASH items were distributed across the full DASH, when ranked by item difficulty, for both patient groups. The correlation between the QuickDASH and DASH was almost perfect (r>0.92). Correlations between the DASH/QuickDASH and other patient-reported outcome measures ranged from moderate to very large (American Shoulder and Elbow Surgeons Standardized Shoulder Assessment Form self-report section, r = 0.47–0.85; Western Ontario Rotator Cuff index, r = 0.83–0.91), whereas correlations to impairments were small to moderate. Correlation estimates varied by less than 0.07, depending on whether the DASH or QuickDASH was used, suggesting equivalent construct validity. Both the DASH and QuickDASH discriminated between working and nonworking patients, with similar group differences and statistical significance (P<.01). The QuickDASH and DASH showed similar responsiveness between presurgery and 6-month follow-up (standardized response mean, 1.1 following TSA and 0.8 following RCR).

Conclusion

When substituting the QuickDASH for the full DASH, similar score estimates, discrimination of clinically relevant subgroups, and responsiveness can be expected across patients following TSA and RCR. J Orthop Sports Phys Ther 2015;45(1):25–36. Epub 13 Nov 2014. doi:10.2519/jospt.2015.5033
A-V Fistula Blood Flow and Complications: A One Year Survey
Authors: Mahbub Tania , Chowdhury Md. Nizamuddin , Jahan Ferdous , Das Aparna , Rahman Md. Motlabur , Sarker Mohammad Abdus Sattar , Islam Md. Nazrul , Khan Md. Firoz
Published: November 2014

Background: Worldwide haemodialysis(HD) is the mostly used method of renal replacement therapy. Arteriovenous fistula use is on rise due to Fistula First Initiative due to least complications of fistulae than catheters.But they are also subjected to many complications. Thereby appropriate surveillance of the fistulae is important.Objectives: To measure the blood flow as well as fistula related complications in study population. Materials and Methods: This was a cross sectional study, conducted in the department of Nephrology, Dhaka Medical College Hospital during September 2010 to December 2011.Total 118 subjects were included in the study. Besides visualization technique colour Doppler ultrasonogram of fistula and  echocardiography were performed for each patients. Results: Most of the patients had adequate fistula flow. Aneurysm was most common complication. Many subjects were suffered from primary and secondary fistula failure. Conclusion: Arterio-Venous fistula is subjected to many complications and appropriate surveillance should be launched to detect complications and to prevent fistula failure.DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.3329/jom.v15i2.20681 J MEDICINE 2014; 15 : 110-113
The Enticing Elusiveness of Things: Objects and Collectors in Richard Marsh's Curios (1898)
Authors: Granata Silvia
Published: November 2014

This essay explores the fictional representations of objects in Richard Marsh's Curios: The Strange Adventures of Two Bachelors (1898), a collection of tales in which things come alive in many ways, calling for a more nuanced approach than that allowed by commodity criticism. Marsh's objects are in fact sites of intersection between issues of identity, professional expertise, and relations between individuals. In my essay, I focus on three main aspects, all deeply informed by the author's exploration of the importance of sensorial perception in human-thing relations: the issue of evidence, the assessment of value, and the concepts of ownership and circulation. My point is to demonstrate that Marsh's stories foreground a mixed attitude towards collectors, and deploy a way of representing objects that emphasises the uncanny power they can exert on humans, but also the wealth of imaginative and sensorial possibilities they offer. Although much stress is given to the elusiveness of specific objects, these tales also show an amused awareness that material things will always escape us, but this very quality is what makes them interesting and worth pursuing.
Discussion of “The Evolution of Boosting Algorithms” and “Extending Statistical Boosting”
Authors: Bühlmann P. , Gertheiss J. , Hieke S. , Kneib T. , Ma S. , Schumacher M. , Tutz G. , Wang C. -Y. , Wang Z. , Ziegler A.
Published: November 2014

This article is part of a For-Discussion-Section of Methods of Information in Medicine about the papers “The Evolution of Boosting Algorithms – From Machine Learning to Statistical Modelling” [1] and “Extending Statistical Boosting – An Overview of Recent Methodological Developments” [2], written by Andreas Mayr and co-authors. It is introduced by an editorial. This article contains the combined commentaries invited to independently comment on the Mayr et al. papers. In sub-sequent issues the discussion can continue through letters to the editor.
Toward a Formalization of the Process to Select IMIA Yearbook Best Papers
Authors: Séroussi B. , Griffon N. , Kerdelhué G. , Jaulent M. -C. , Bouaud J. , Lamy J. -B.
Published: November 2014

Background: Each year, the International Medical Informatics Association Yearbook recognizes significant scientific papers, labelled as “best papers”, published the previous year in the subfields of biomedical informatics that correspond to the different section topics of the journal. For each section, about fifteen pre-selected “candidate” best papers are externally peer-reviewed to select the actual best papers. Although based on the available literature, little is known about the pre-selection process.

Objective: To move toward an explicit formalization of the candidate best papers selection process to reduce variability in the literature search across sections and over years.

Methods: A methodological framework is proposed to build for each section topic specific queries tailored to PubMed and Web of Science citation databases. The two sets of returned papers are merged and reviewed by two independent section editors and citations are tagged as “discarded”, “pending”, and “kept”. A protocolized consolidation step is then jointly conducted to resolve conflicts. A bibliographic software tool, BibReview, was developed to support the whole process.

Results: The proposed search strategy was fully applied to the Decision Support section of the 2013 edition of the Yearbook. For this section, 1124 references were returned (689 PubMed-specific, 254 WoS-specific, 181 common to both databases) among which the 15 candidate best papers were selected.

Conclusions: The search strategy for determining candidate best papers for an IMIA Yearbook’s section is now explicitly specified and allows for reproducibility. However, some aspects of the whole process remain reviewer-dependent, mostly because there is no characterization of a ”best paper“.
Revision of a loose cementless short-stem threaded femoral component using a standard cementless stem in a canine hip arthroplasty
Authors: Marcellin-Little D. J. , Lascelles B. D. X. , Roe S. C.
Published: November 2014

A Helica short-stemmed femoral prosthesis that was identified as being loose one year after implantation was revised with a standard long stem cementless BFX femoral pros-thesis. A double pelvic osteotomy was also performed to improve the orientation of the stable acetabular cup. Despite complete resorption of the femoral neck, and a large perforation of the lateral femoral cortex, the revision stem did not subside or rotate. The prosthetic joint did not dislocate. At re-evaluation two years after revision surgery, the prosthetic components were stable. Signs of bone ingrowth into the stem and cup were evident on radiographs. The dog had a seven percent greater thigh muscle girth in the limb implanted with the hip prosthesis compared to the contralateral limb, and was very active with no lameness.
Erosion of the medial compartment of the canine elbow: occurrence, diagnosis and currently available treatment options
Authors: Gielen I. , Verhoeven G. , Van Vynckt D. , Van Ryssen B. , Coppieters E.
Published: November 2014

Erosion of the medial compartment of the elbow joint refers to full thickness cartilage loss with exposure of the subchondral bone (modified Outerbridge grades 4–5) of the medial part of the humeral condyle (MHC) and the corresponding ulnar contact area. This finding may appear in the absence of an osteochondral fragment or a cartilage flap, or in combination with fragmentation of the medial coronoid process (MCP) or osteochondritis dissecans (OCD) of the MHC. With regard to the prognosis, it is important to diagnose these severe erosions. Imaging of cartilage lesions by means of radiography, ultrasonography, computed tomography or magnetic resonance imaging is challenging in dogs. In contrast, direct arthroscopic inspection provides detailed information about the cartilage.

The treatment of these severe erosions is difficult because of the limited regenerative capacity of cartilage and presumed mechanical or physical triggering factors. Several conservative and surgical treatment methods have been proposed to treat elbows with severe cartilage defects. However, due to irreversible loss of cartilage, the prognosis in these cases remains guarded.
The first record of a fly of the family Milichiidae (Diptera) interacting with an ant of the genus Polyrhachis Smith, 1857 (Hymenoptera: Formicidae)
Authors: Yusah Kalsum , Fayle Tom
Published: November 2014

Flies in the family Milichiidae are often myrmecophilic. We document the first record of a fly from this family interacting with an ant of the genus Polyrhachis. In lowland riparian rainforest in Sabah, Malaysia, we observed a female of the genus Milichia following an ant of the species of P. illaudata, and repeatedly attempting to make close contact. Our observation suggests that the dipteran may have been attempting to feed kleptoparasitically from the Polyrhachis worker, since members of this ant genus often feed on liquid carbohydrate-rich food resources. This is the first time an interaction has been observed between a fly of this family and an ant of this widespread old world tropical genus.
Les missions de « proximité » en question : places et pos tures des intervenantes sociales minoritaires
Authors: Manier Marion
Published: November 2014

Au cœur de ce que l’on a coutume de nommer les « nouveaux métiers de l’intervention sociale », les médiatrices culturelles, femmes relais, ani matrices ou formatrices « issues de l’immigration » ont la particularité de remplir des missions professionnelles qui, le plus souvent, font appel à la fois à de supposées compétences relationnelles de genre et à leur proximité sociale, ethnique ou culturelle aux cibles de l’intervention sociale. Dans ce contexte, cet article propose de montrer comment se manifestent empiriquement les ambivalences de ces fonctions de proximité ethnique et de genre, d’une part dans les missions formelles et informelles qui sont assignées aux intervenantes minoritaires dans le secteur de l’intégration et, d’autre part, dans les postures et les stratégies que ces dernières adoptent.
Réorganisation des services d'aide à domicile au Québec et droits syndicaux : de la qualification à la disponibilité permanente juste-à-temps
Authors: Boivin Louise
Published: November 2014

Au Québec, à la fin des années 1970, la qualification professionnelle du travail rémunéré du care dans les services d’aide à domicile a été possible grâce à l’étatisation des services et à la syndicalisation. Avec la sous-traitance des services publics et l’inadéquation de la régulation juridique du travail à l’égard de cette forme productive, les travailleuses peuvent difficilement négocier collectivement cette qualification. Leurs conditions de travail précarisées sont marquées par la « disponibilité permanente juste-à-temps », nouveau modèle de flexibilisation du travail combinant les logiques propres à la sphère domestique et à la gestion de type toyotiste.
Les normes d'une famille « juste » dans les interventions des assistantes et assistants sociaux de l'aide sociale publique
Authors: Modak Marianne , Messant Françoise , Keller Véréna , Girardin Myriam
Published: November 2014

Cet article porte sur la normativité familiale que nous étudions à partir de la fonction économique de la famille. Notre recherche porte sur les interventions des assistantes et assistants sociaux (AS) de l’Aide sociale publique en Suisse romande. Nous analysons les logiques d’action que ces AS mobilisent pour conduire leur intervention dans ce cadre législatif. Les résultats de l’étude montrent que la normativité familiale des AS varie selon le type de problème familial abordé et le parcours professionnel de l’AS, et qu’elle infléchit significativement la division sexuelle du travail au sein du groupe familial.
NoSQL Databases
Authors: Adhikari Mainak , Kar Sukhendu
Published: November 2014

NoSQL database provides a mechanism for storage and access of data across multiple storage clusters. NoSQL dabases are finding significant and growing industry to meet the huge data storage requirements of Big data, real time applications, and Cloud Computing. NoSQL databases have lots of advantages over the conventional RDBMS features. NoSQL systems are also referred to as “Not only SQL” to emphasize that they may in fact allow Structured language like SQL, and additionally, they allow Semi Structured as well as Unstructured language. A variety of NoSQL databases having different features to deal with exponentially growing data intensive applications are available with open source and proprietary option mostly prompted and used by social networking sites. This chapter discusses some features and challenges of NoSQL databases and some of the popular NoSQL databases with their features on the light of CAP theorem.
Cloud Database Security Issues and Challenges
Authors: Deka Ganesh Chandra
Published: November 2014

To get the desired benefits for the IT enterprise, NoSQL databases must be combined with proven and reliable SQL features into a single proven infrastructure meeting the manageability and security requirements of cloud computing. Various specifications, including SAML (Security Assertions Markup Language), improved interoperability across organizational boundaries are coming up. This chapter discuses some of the security issues of NoSQL databases. All the related technology used in the chapter are explained either where they appear or at the end of the chapter.
Biometric Authentication for Cloud Computing
Authors: Bhatia Tarunpreet , Verma A. K.
Published: November 2014

Cloud computing is a way of providing unlimited storage capacity and enhancing parallel processing capabilities without investing in new infrastructure or licensing new software. Designing a secure data access for cloud computing platform is a big challenge as more and more information is placed over cloud by individuals and companies. It is not enough to authenticate a device, or even a user to a device. Cloud computing requires a level of trust that can only be possible through biometric identity assurance, as biometrics offer the unique ability to bind an identity to an actual user, not just to a logical or physical token or credential. This chapter evaluates cloud security by identifying unique security requirements and attempts to present viable solutions based on biometrics to eliminate possible threats. It provides a comprehensive and structured overview of biometric authentication for enhancing cloud security.
Biometrics in Cloud Computing
Authors: Adhikari Mainak
Published: November 2014

Biometric-based authentication is automatic identity verification, based on individual physiological or behavioural characteristics, such as fingerprints, voice, face, iris, etc. Over the next few years, the amount of biological data will increase rapidly and require enormous amounts of storage space and huge processing power. To face those challenges, the Service Providers are looking towards a distributed approach, Cloud Computing, which can improve the Quality of Service (QoS) of overall systems and handle the challenges quite efficiently with its unlimited storage space, and parallel processing power, using the help of virtualization technology and rapid data distribution capacity. This chapter presents the important standards and recommendation of Biometric Services in Cloud Platform and elaborates the potential value of Cloud-Based Biometric Services by presenting two important case studies.
ECG-Based Biometrics
Authors: Majumder Swanirbhar , Pal Saurabh
Published: November 2014

Like all human beings have different fingerprints, they have differently shaped hearts. The ECG, or the electrocardiogram, is the signature of the movements by the human heart, and thus, all ECGs are different. ECG biometrics is an area of biometric identification by the usage of the ECG features in time or frequency/transform domain. Along with these, if the present-day cloud servers also come to play, one has an efficient and cost-effective ECG-based biometric system using cloud computing to provide real-time identification via a secure connection. This chapter focuses on ECG-based biometrics with an overview at the end about how cloud-based big databases of stored ECG signatures and cloud servers can play a part in it.
An Outline of Threats and Sensor Cloud Infrastructure in Wireless Sensor Network
Authors: Butani Bhavana , Shukla Piyush Kumar , Silakari Sanjay
Published: November 2014

Wireless sensor networks are utilized in vital situations like military and commercial applications, traffic surveillance, habitat monitoring, and many other applications. WSNs have to face various issues and challenges in terms of memory, communication, energy, computation, and storage, which require efficient management of huge amount of sensor data. Therefore, storage is an important issue in the WSN. Emergence of Sensor-Cloud infrastructure overcomes several shortcomings of WSN such as storage capacity and offers high processing capabilities for huge sensor data. Security is also the major challenge that is faced by the sensor network. This chapter includes a brief overview of the importance of cloud computing in sensor networks and the goal of DDoS and Node Capture Attack in WSN. This chapter includes descriptions of different modeling techniques of Node Capture attack and various detection and key pre-distribution schemes to invent a new technique to improve network resilience against node capture attacks.
Applying Evidence in Practice
Authors: Dore Ian
Published: November 2014

Judgement and decision-making lie at the heart of practice and are feats that practitioners perform under conditions that are complex and uncertain, the attainment of positive outcomes for service users dependent upon the aptitude of those charged with the task and the scaffolding provided by their employing organisations. Faced with such a challenge, social workers somehow avoid paralysis and take action to support and protect those with whom they work, drawing on experience, skill, information, and intervention evidence. The way they negotiate, orientate, interpret, and apply this knowledge is often through unconscious thought processes that require illumination and balance. This chapter considers how practitioners make sense of the situations that they come into contact with and discusses the intuitive-analytical reasoning continuum integral to this. Attention is given to the role of value as an influence upon perception and subsequent interpretation, together with the role played by cognitive processes.
Social Work Practice Outcomes
Authors: Pritchard Colin , Williams Richard
Published: November 2014

The key issue in all human services is outcome. The authors report on a series of four mixed methods research studies to conclude that good social work can bring about positive measurable differences to inform policy and practice. The first focuses on how effective Western nations have been in reducing Child Abuse Related Deaths (CARD); the second explores a three-year controlled study of a school-based social work service to reduce truancy, delinquency, and school exclusion; the third examines outcomes of “Looked After Children” (LAC); the forth re-evaluates a decade of child homicide assailants to provide evidence of the importance of the child protection-psychiatric interface in benefiting mentally ill parents and improving the psychosocial development and protection of their children. These studies show that social work has a measurable beneficial impact upon the lives of those who had been served and that social work can be cost-effective, that is, self-funding, over time.
Bridging the policy-implementation gap in federal health systems: lessons from the Nigerian experience
Authors: Mckenzie Andrew , Sokpo Emmanuel , Ager Alastair
Published: November 2014

The Partnership for Reviving Routine Immunization in Northern Nigeria - Maternal, Newborn and Child Health initiative supports efforts by the government of Nigeria to bridge primary health care (PHC) policies and services at three levels of government: federal, state and local. The paper suggests that understandings informed by complexity theory and complex adaptive systems have been helpful in shaping policy and programme design across these levels. To illustrate this, three initiatives are explored: Bringing PHC under one roof, enhancing access to funding provided by the Global Alliance for Vaccines and Immunization, and strengthening the midwives service scheme. These initiatives have demonstrated how concepts and experience developed at subnational level can influence national policy and practice, and how work at subnational levels can add value to nationally conceived and nationally driven plans for PHC.
Coupling mechanism between geoacoustic emission and electromagnetic anomalies prior to earthquakes
Authors: Pilipenko Viacheslav , Fedorov Evgeniy
Published: November 2014

Micro-cracking in the earthquake preparation zone is accompanied by the generation of acoustic emission (AE). Even low-intensity AE can essentially modify the underground fluid dynamics owing to the influence of high-frequency acoustic field on filtration process. Laboratory experiments show that acoustic impact on pour sample destroys a film with bounded water and results in a steep increase of its permeability up to 2 orders of magnitude. Impulsive acoustic fields also decrease the effective viscosity of the fluid. The occurrence in the crust under pressure of a region with distinct hydrodynamic and electrokinetic parameters will result in an appearance of anomalous telluric and magnetic fields on the surface above. This effect is estimated analytically using a simple model with an ellipticshaped inhomogeneity. The suggested hypothesis about possible coupling between AE and geoelectrical anomalies needs observational verification.
A model for determining baseline morphometrics of skeletal myofibres
Authors: Mars Maurice , Gregory Michael A.
Published: November 2014

The minimum diameter method of morphometry (MDM) is used to measure and detect changes in myofibre diameters (FD). The MDM is used to identify pathology in skeletal muscle. In such studies, an assumption is made that the mean FD in a particular muscle in both limbs is essentially the same. This study explored this premise to determine the accuracy of MDM as a means of morphometric analysis. Muscle biopsies were obtained from the left (G1) and right (G2) tibialis anterior of four vervet monkeys and from the massaged left (G3) and untreated right (G4) tibialis anterior of four animals. Wax sections were prepared for MDM and FD was measured. Three specimens were re-measured on four occasions. The mean FD of each biopsy from G1 and G2 limbs were compared and the number of measurements necessary to produce a meaningful result determined. Repeated measurement showed a difference of < 3.0% in FD means between the first and three subsequent measurements. There was no significant difference of FD means between G1 and G2, whilst the difference between G3 and G4 was 11.2%. When > 175 FD were measured, the difference from the final mean was less than 2.0%. These data show that, (1) FD data derived from a muscle in an untreated limb can be used as a control for experiment mediated changes of FD in the other, (2) MDM is a reliable means of measuring FD and (3) 150–175 FD are needed to provide a dependable result.
Canine multi-drug resistance-1 mutation prevalence: A South African perspective
Authors: Le Roux-Pullen Lérica , Van der Zwan Henriëtte
Published: November 2014

The multi-drug resistance (mdr-1) gene mutation is a phenomenon well known to current veterinary practitioners. The mutation causes a predisposition for, amongst other phenomena, macrocyclic lactone-induced neurotoxicosis in affected canines, a condition that can be fatal. Various herding dog breeds can be heterozygous or homozygous for the mutation, and prevalence differs only slightly in dog populations between geographical regions. This report provides prevalence data of the canine mdr-1 mutation in 306 South African dogs.
Follow-up survey of the prevalence, diagnosis, clinical manifestations and treatment of Spirocerca lupi in South Africa
Authors: Lobetti Remo
Published: November 2014

Spirocercosis is an important disease in South Africa. The object of this study was to determine if there had been a change in the prevalence, clinical manifestations and treatment of Spirocerca lupi over a 14-year period. A questionnaire was sent to 577 veterinary practices throughout South Africa in 2012. Of responders, 76% indicated that S. lupi occurred in their area, whilst 24% indicated that it did not; 84% considered S. lupi not to be a new phenomenon, whereas 16% considered it to be new. Monthly or seasonal distribution of the disease was not reported, and 76% of responders reported it to occur in no specific breed of dog, whereas 24% reported a breed risk, most considering large breeds to be at greater risk. No specific age or sex was identified as at higher risk. Common owner complaints were vomiting, weight loss, cough, or regurgitation. Reported clinical findings tended to mirror the clinical signs reported by owners. Most common diagnostic methods used were radiology, endoscopy, faecal flotation, and post mortem examination. Forty-four percent did not report seeing asymptomatic cases, 40% reported asymptomatic cases and 16% did not know. Associated complications were reported by 85% of responders, and included oesophageal neoplasia, hypertrophic osteopathy and acute haemothorax. Four different drugs were used as therapy: doramectin, ivermectin, milbemycin and Advocate®, with 9% of the responders using a combination of these four; 85% considered treatment to be effective and 15% ineffective. Treatment was considered more effective if the disease was diagnosed early and there were no complications. Two important conclusions were that more cases are being seen and that efficacy of therapy has increased, with a decrease in the mortality rate.
A brief overview of the history of veterinary field services in South Africa
Authors: Brückner Gideon K.
Published: November 2014

The historical evolution of veterinary services in South Africa is closely linked to the colonial history of the past and the eventual political formation of the Union of South Africa in 1910, as well as the establishment of a fully democratic South Africa in 1994. The majority of the early pioneering veterinarians had close links to military activities and were originally mostly of British origin. The appointment of the first colonial chief veterinary officers occurred in the late 1800s. These appointments were dictated by the need to combat devastating animal diseases, such as rinderpest and African horse sickness, mainly because they affected draught oxen (used for travel) and horses (used in combat). Veterinary field services was established in 1962 as a separate functional entity within government services when M.C. Lambrechts became Director of Veterinary Services of South Africa. In the context of this article, veterinary field services refers to that sphere of veterinary service delivery conducted by government-appointed or seconded veterinarians applying disease control and prevention, as required by animal health legislation. Paging through the history of veterinary field services in South Africa confirms that the problems faced by the veterinary services of today were just as real during the times of our pioneers. The pioneers of veterinary services transformed unknown animal diseases into textbook descriptions still used today and also demonstrated the important link to, and use of, the observations made by farmers, as well as the need for continued basic and applied research on animal diseases. This article provided a brief overview of the evolution of veterinary field services and the important role played by pioneers over the last two centuries to make South Africa relatively free and safe from the most important trade-sensitive and economically important animal diseases.
Pica in Rural Obstetric Population: An Underestimated Nutritional Mystery
Authors: Kumare Bhavna , Vijay Nikita
Published: November 2014

Objective

To determine the prevalence of pica during pregnancy, maternal hemoglobin levels at delivery and the association of pica with low birth weight and preterm birth.

Study design

A descriptive cross-sectional study.

Subjects/setting

Two hundred pregnant women aged 18 to 35 years admitted in labor room of Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, NKPSIMS.

Study duration

1 March 2012 to 28 February 2013. Main outcome measures — maternal hemoglobin at delivery, mean birth weight and mean gestational age were compared in pica and no pica group.

Statistical analysis

Mean, percentage and chi-square test (for paired data).

Results

Seventeen percent of these pregnant women practiced pica. The most common pica substance that was consumed was chalk (44.1%) and clay (38.2%). Women in pica group had lower hemoglobin levels 8.63 ± 1.12 gm% (mean ± SD) at delivery than women who did not report pica (10.03 ± 0.96 gm%). There was no difference in mean birth weight and gestational age of neonates born to women with pica group and no pica group.

Conclusion

The findings suggest that pica practices are associated with significantly lower maternal hemoglobin levels at delivery, but are not associated with low birth weight and preterm birth.

How to cite this article

Kumare B, Somalwar S, Vijay N. Pica in Rural Obstetric Population: An Underestimated Nutritional Mystery. J South Asian Feder Obst Gynae 2014;6(2):71-74.
Urinary Incontinence: Revisited
Authors: Malhotra Narendra , Rawat Rajani , Garg Ruchika
Published: November 2014

Patients usually under-report symptoms of incontinence. Therefore, improved physician-patient communication is vital. Most urinary incontinence can be evaluated and treated after careful history and simple clinical assessment. Initial treatment, for both urge urinary incontinence and stress urinary incontinence, is lifestyle modification and pelvic floor muscle exercises.

Urgency responds to bladder training and drug therapy with anticholinergic medication. Pharmacotherapy has a limited place in stress incontinence.

How to cite this article

Malhotra N, Garg R, Agrawal P, Rawat R. Urinary Incontinence: Revisited. J South Asian Feder Obst Gynae 2014;6(2):107-111.
Transesophageal Echocardiography for Tetralogy of Fallot Repair: What a Perioperative Physician need to know?
Authors: Tacy Theresa A
Published: November 2014

Transesophageal echocardiography (TEE) is now an integral part of intraoperative management of TOF patients undergoing intracardiac repair. With the availability of micro TEE probes, intraoperative TEE care can now be provided to even the smallest of patients. It provides live images of the anatomical and pathophysiological state of the heart and allows perioperative physicians to modify surgical and medical treatment perioperatively.

During pre-bypass period, TEE confirms preoperative diagnosis and can provide additional information which might be missed on transthoracic echocardiography (TTE). It also helps in modifying intraoperative surgical plan if new findings are detected intraoperatively. In addition, real time information on volume status and inotropy helps in management of hemodynamics and preventing hypercyanotic spells in prebypass period.

Adequacy of surgical repair can be assessed in immediate post-bypass period and any residual defect can be corrected before patient leaves the operating room. Post repair information on anatomical and pathophysiologic status helps guiding management in intensive care unit.

How to cite this article

Puri GD, Raj R, Tacy TA. Transesophageal Echocardiography for Tetralogy of Fallot Repair: What a Perioperative Physician need to know?. J Perioper Echocardiogr 2014;2(2):51-57.