Semantic web adoption: online tools for web evaluation and metadata extraction

This work briefly analyses the difficulties to adopt the Semantic Web, and in particular proposes systems to know the present level of migration to the different technologies that make up the Semantic Web. It focuses on the presentation and description of two tools, DigiDocSpider and DigiDocMetaEdit, designed with the aim of verifYing, evaluating, and promoting its implementation.

Development and validation of a postmortem radiological alteration index: the RA-Index.

This study aimed to derive an index quantifying the state of alteration of cadavers by quantifying the presence of gas in the body using postmortem multidetector computed tomography (MDCT) imaging, and to validate the index by defining its sensitivity and specificity. The RA (radiological alteration)-index was derived from postmortem MDCT data from 118 nontraumatically deceased people. To validate the index, 100 additional scanned bodies (50 % traumatically deceased) were retrospectively examined by two independent observers. Presence of gas at 82 sites was assessed by a radiologist, whereas a forensic pathologist only investigated the seven sites used for the RA-index. The RA-index was highly correlated to the overall presence of gas in all 82 sites (R(2) = 0.98 in the derivation set and 0.85 in the validation set). Semiquantitative evaluation of gas presence in each site showed moderate reliability (Cohen's kappa range, 0.41-0.78); nevertheless, the overall RA-index was very reliable (ICC(2,1) = 0.95; 95 % CI 0.92-0.96). Examiner using the RA-index detected heart cavities full of gas with a sensitivity of 100 % (95 % CI 51.7-100) and a specificity of 98.8 % (92.6-99.9). We conclude that determining the presence of gas at seven sites is a valid means to measure the distribution of gas due to cadaveric alteration in the entire body. The RA-index is rapid, easy-to-use, and reliable for nonexperienced users, and it is a valid method to suspect the normal presence of gas from cadaveric alteration. MDCT can be used to screen for gas embolism and to give indications for gas composition analysis (gas chromatography).

Planejamento da gravidez: prevalência e aspectos associados

Os objetivos foram estimar a prevalência de gravidez planejada e analisar os aspectos a ela associados. Gravidez planejada foi avaliada pelo London Measure of Unplanned Pregnancy, versão Brasil. Foram estudadas 126 mulheres que procuraram unidades básicas de saúde de Marília, São Paulo para confirmação da gravidez e que tiveram resultado positivo. A prevalência de gravidez planejada foi 33,3% [25,2%-42,3%]. Os aspectos positivamente associados ao planejamento da gravidez foram idade, idade do parceiro, coabitação com parceiro, ter engravidado anteriormente e ter vivenciado um abortamento anterior. O planejamento da gravidez ainda não é evento freqüente e está determinado, sobretudo, pelos contextos de vida pessoal e afetiva das mulheres, bem como por sua trajetória reprodutiva, e não simplesmente pelo uso de métodos contraceptivos ou nível de escolaridade, como tradicionalmente se tem pensado.

Carte générale de l'Algérie ou des possessions françaises dans le nord de l'Afrique : pour servir à l'intelligence des opérations militaires et commerciales / dressée par A. B. Beaupré, géographe

Échelle(s) : [ca 1:4 732 000], 50 lieues de 25 au degré [= 4,7 cm]

Cardiac function assessed by transesophageal echocardiography during pectus excavatum repair.

BACKGROUND: We assessed end-diastolic right ventricular (RV) dimensions and left ventricular (LV) ejection fraction by use of intraoperative transesophageal echocardiography before and after surgical correction of pectus excavatum in adults. METHODS: A prospective study was conducted including 17 patients undergoing surgical correction of pectus excavatum according to the technique of Ravitch-Shamberger between 1999 and 2004. Intraoperative transesophageal echocardiography was performed under general anesthesia before and after surgery to assess end-diastolic RV dimensions and LV ejection fraction. The end-diastolic RV diameter and area were measured in four-chamber and RV inflow-outflow view, and the RV volume was calculated from these data. The LV was assessed by transgastric short-axis view, and its ejection fraction was calculated by use of the Teichholz formula. RESULTS: The end-diastolic RV diameter, area, and volume all significantly increased after surgery (mean values +/- SD, respectively: 2.4 +/- 0.8 cm versus 3.0 +/- 0.9 cm, p < 0.001; 12.5 +/- 5.2 cm(2) versus 18.4 +/- 7.5 cm(2), p < 0.001; and 21.7 +/- 11.7 mL versus 40.8 +/- 23 mL, p < 0.001). The LV ejection fraction also significantly increased after surgery (58.4% +/- 15% versus 66.2% +/- 6%, p < 0.001). CONCLUSIONS: Surgical correction of pectus excavatum according to Ravitch-Shamberger technique results in a significant increase in end-diastolic RV dimensions and a significantly increased LV ejection fraction.

Frame detection over the semantic web

In the past, research in ontology learning from text has mainly focused on entity recognition, taxonomy induction and relation extraction. In this work we approach a challenging research issue: detecting semantic frames from texts and using them to encode web ontologies. We exploit a new generation Natural Language Processing technology for frame detection, and we enrich the frames acquired so far with argument restrictions provided by a super-sense tagger and domain specializations. The results are encoded according to a Linguistic MetaModel, which allows a complete translation of lexical resources and data acquired from text, enabling custom transformations of the enriched frames into modular ontology components.

State Legislation Monitoring Report FY2004, February 2005

The Division of Criminal and Juvenile Justice Planning issued its first state legislation monitoring report in February 2002, covering the first six months’ impact of Senate File 543 (which enacted a number of sentencing changes) on the justice system; monitoring of the correctional impact of this bill was at the request of several members of the legislature. Since then, the Criminal and Juvenile Justice Planning Advisory Council has requested that CJJP monitor the correctional impact of enacted legislation of particular interest. This report covers monitoring results or future plans to monitor the following: 1. Changes in “crack” cocaine and “powder” cocaine penalties under Chapter 124.401 (effective FY2004; see p.3). 2. Commitments to prison involving manufacture, distribution, or possession of methamphetamine under Chapter 124.401 (see p.5). 3. Prosecution of offenders for child endangerment under Chapter 726.6(g) for permitting the presence of a child or minor at a location where a controlled substance manufacturing or a product possession violation occurs (see p.7). 4. Provision of an enhanced penalty for manufacturing of controlled substances under Chapter 124.401C when children are present and the offender is not charged under section 726.6(g) (see p. 7). 5. Creating a new offense when a retailer sells more than two packages of any product containing pseudoephedrine (chapter 126.23A) and providing for an enhanced penalty under Chapter 714.7C when a theft involves more than two packages of similar products (see p.8). 6. Establishment of parole eligibility at 70% of time served for persons sentenced under the “85% law” provisions of Iowa Code Section 902.12. (effective FY2005; see p. 9).

Postmortem chemistry update part I.

Postmortem chemistry is becoming increasingly essential in the forensic pathology routine and considerable progress has been made over the past years. Biochemical analyses of vitreous humor, cerebrospinal fluid, blood and urine may provide significant information in determining the cause of death or in elucidating forensic cases. Postmortem chemistry may essentially contribute in the determination of the cause of death when the pathophysiological changes involved in the death process cannot be detected by morphological methods (e.g. diabetes mellitus, alcoholic ketoacidosis and electrolytic disorders). It can also provide significant information and useful support in other forensic situations, including anaphylaxis, hypothermia, sepsis and hormonal disturbances. In this article, we present a review of the literature that covers this vast topic and we report the results of our observations. We have focused our attention on glucose metabolism, renal function and electrolytic disorders.

Sukkamateriaalien vaikutukset jalkaterien ihon kosteuteen ja varvasvälihautumiin

Tutkimuksen tarkoituksena oli selvittää miten erilaiset sukat ja sukkamateriaalit vaikuttavat jalkaterien ihon kosteuteen ja ihomuutoksiin sekä selvittää varusmiesten omahoitotottumuksia ja jalkojen kuntoa. Tutkimus toteutettiin Helsingissä Kaartin jääkärirykmentissä 24.4. - 20.6.2006 ja siihen osallistui 20 aliupseerikurssia suorittavaa varusmiestä. 10 varusmiestä käytti Oy Feelmax Ltd:n Charcoal-varvassukkia ja 10 armeijan perusurheilusukkia kuukauden ajan. Tutkimusstrategia oli kvantitatiivinen ja tiedonhankintamenetelminä olivat strukturoidut ja sekamuotoiset kyselylomakkeet, jalkaterien kliininen tutkimus sekä elektronisilla ihon kosteusmittareilla tapahtuvat kosteusmittaukset. Tulokset esitettiin frekvensseinä ja prosenttiosuuksina. Feelmax- varvassukkia käyttänyt ryhmä tunsi koko tutkimuksen ajan jalkateränsä kuivemmiksi kuin armeijan sukkia käyttäneet. Ryhmien välillä ei ihon kosteudessa mittareilla mitattuna ollut eroa. Molemmilla ryhmillä kosteuden määrä iholla väheni sukkien vaihtovälin tihentyessä. Varvassukkia käyttäneillä oli huomattavasti vähemmän varvasvälihautumia (38 kpl) kuin tavallisia sukkia käyttäneillä (126 kpl). Tutkittavilla oli paljon hiertymiä, koska suurimmalla osalla oli liian suuret kengät. Tutkimusryhmien omahoitotietoudessa oli paljon puutteita ja kaikilla tutkittavilla oli jalkaongelmia. Tulosten perusteella sukkien valinnalla on merkitystä jalkaterien ihon kosteuteen ja ihon kuntoon. Lisäksi varusmiehet tarvitsevat lisätietoa esimerkiksi jalkojen omahoitoluentojen muodossa. Näin vältytään epätoivottujen ja turhien jalkaongelmien leviämiseltä. Oy Feelmax Ltd voi hyödyntää tämän tutkimuksen tutkimustuloksia kehittäessään varvassukkia ja kohdentaa niitä tehokkaammin erilaisille käyttäjäryhmille. Tutkimuksesta saatujen tietojen perusteella Suomen Puolustusvoimat voi kehittää sukkia, kenkiä, varusmiesten jalkojen omahoidon opetusta ja ohjausta, infektioiden torjuntaa ja parantaa näin varusmiesten toimintakykyä ja -valmiutta. Tulokset eivät ole tilastollisesti merkitseviä, joten aihe vaatii lisätutkimuksia suuremmalla tutkimusjoukolla.

Adaptação cultural e propriedades psicométricas iniciais do instrumento DISABKIDS ® – Cystic Fibrosis Module – versão brasileira

Este estudo objetivou adaptar culturalmente e descrever as propriedades psicométricas iniciais do instrumento de mensuração de qualidade de vida relacionada à saúde DISABKIDS® − Cystic Fibrosis Module para crianças e adolescentes e seus pais/cuidadores. Estudo metodológico de desenvolvimento sequencial, incluindo 126 participantes em quatro estados brasileiros. Envolveu tradução e retrotradução dos itens, equivalência conceitual e semântica, validade de face e descrição das propriedades psicométricas iniciais relacionadas ao construto e fidedignidade . Para equivalência semântica da versão adaptada houve ajustes na redação de um item. O instrumento apresentou consistência interna satisfatória com valores de alfa de Cronbach entre 0,70 e 0,85, validade convergente com valores de correlação acima 0,40 em 85% dos itens e validade divergente com valores de ajuste superiores a 75%. A versão brasileira do DISABKIDS® - CFM certamente se constituirá em um instrumento válido e confiável para a mensuração da qualidade de vida de crianças e adolescentes brasileiros com fibrose cística.

O grau de orientação para o mercado dos hotéis em Cabo Verde

Dada a importância do conceito de orientação para o mercado e a inexistência de estudos que estudem o seu grau de implementação nas empresas Cabo-Verdianas, este estudo visa medir o grau de orientação para o mercado dos hotéis em Cabo Verde. O estudo foi aplicado às unidades hoteleiras do sector turístico em Cabo Verde com o objectivo de: (i) determinar o grau de orientação para o mercado dos hotéis em Cabo Verde e (ii) verificar a existência de diferenças significativas no grau de orientação para o mercado dos hotéis em função da existência de departamento de marketing nos hotéis, a área funcional dos respondentes, a localização geográfica dos hotéis e a procedência do capital social maioritário. As conclusões do estudo sugerem que em termos gerais, os hotéis, em Cabo Verde, segundo as percepções dos gestores, tem um nível médio de orientação para o mercado. Os resultados mostraram ainda que apenas existe uma diferença significativa no grau de geração e resposta ao mercado, entre os hotéis nacionais e os estrangeiros. Igualmente, constatou-se que, existe uma diferença significativa, no grau de geração e disseminação de informação de mercado, entre a percepção da área comercial e ou marketing e as restantes áreas das unidades hoteleiras. Entretanto, relativamente à localização dos hotéis e à existência ou não de departamentos de marketing, não foi confirmada a existência de diferenças significativas no grau de geração, disseminação de informação e resposta ao mercado. Due to the importance given to the concept of market orientation and the lack of studies which examine its level of implementation in Cape Verdean companies, this research aims to measure the level of market orientation of hotels in Cape Verde. This study was applied to hotel units in Cape Verde with the aim of: (i) determining the level of market orientation in Cape Verde hotels and (ii) verifying the existence of significant differences in the degree of market orientation of hotels which have or not a marketing department, the professional area of the respondents, the geographic location of the hotels and the origin of the majority funds. According to the managers’ perceptions, the results suggest that in general terms, the hotels, in Cape Verde, , have an intermediate level of market orientation. The results also show that there is a significant difference between national and foreign hotels regarding information generation and responsiveness to market. In the same way, there is as significant difference on the degree of generation and dissemination of information between the functional commercial areas and the others functional hotel areas. However, there was no significant difference on what concerns generation, dissemination and market responsiveness, regarding hotels location and the existence or not of marketing departments.