Abstract
In this paper, a new model is developed to improve the behavior of plug-in electric vehicles (PIEVs) aggregator in the short-term and long-term time horizons. In the model, the aggregator maximizes his/her profit and optimizes PIEV owners' revenue by applying changes in the contract type to ensure their participation and attract new customers in the future. The aggregator optimizes the self-scheduling program and proposes the optimal bidding strategies to the electricity markets, considering EVs constraints. Moreover, the electricity markets are modeled as oligopoly markets, in contrast with previous works that considered perfectly competitive ones. Further, in the proposed model several uncertainties are considered, such as electricity market prices, number of connected PIEVs, the connection duration of PIEVs, amount of energy stored in the batteries, calling the aggregator by ISO for power generation and behavior of market players. The numerical results show the effectiveness of the proposed model.

Abstract

Abstract
AIM: To identify demographic and clinical factors associated with disabling Crohn's disease (CD). METHODS: A systematic review and meta-analysis of observational studies, focusing on the factors that can predict the prognosis of different outcomes of CD was undertaken. PubMed, ISI Web of Knowledge and Scopus were searched to identify studies investigating the above mentioned factors in adult patients with CD. Studies were eligible for inclusion if they describe prognostic factors in CD, with inclusion and exclusion criteria defined as follows. Studies with adult patients and CD, written in English and studying association between clinical factors and at least one prognosis outcome were included. Meta-analysis of effects was undertaken for the disabling disease outcome, using odds ratio (OR) to assess the effect of the different factors in the outcome. The statistical method used was MantelHaenszel for fixed effects. The 16-item quality assessment tool (QATSDD) was used to assess the quality of the studies (range: 0-42). RESULTS: Of the 913 papers initially selected, sixty studies were reviewed and three were included in the systematic review and meta-analysis. The global QATSDD scores of papers were 18, 21 and 22. Of a total of 1961 patients enrolled, 1332 (78%) were classified with disabling disease five years after diagnosis. In two studies, age at diagnosis was a factor associated with disabling disease five years after diagnosis. Individuals under 40 years old had a higher risk of developing disabling disease. In two studies, patients who were treated with corticosteroids on the first flare developed disabling disease five years after diagnosis. Further, perianal disease was found to be relevant in all of the studies at two and five years after diagnosis. Finally, one study showed localization as a factor associated with disabling disease five years after diagnosis, with L3 being a higher risk factor. This meta-analysis showed a significantly higher risk of developing disabling disease at five years after initial diagnosis among patients younger than 40 years of age (OR = 2.47, 95% CI: 1.74-3.51), with initial steroid treatment for first flare (OR = 2.42, 95% CI: 1.87-3.11) and with perianal disease (OR = 2.00, 95% CI: 1.41-2.85). CONCLUSION: Age at diagnosis, perianal disease, initial use of steroids and localization seem to be independent prognostic factors of disabling disease.

Abstract
The relation between academic integrity and real world corruption is more often presumed than proven. Based on a sample of 7,602 students from 21 countries, it was found that academic cheating in the past is a predictor of the countries' current level of corruption. This reproducibility and persistence over time of dishonest behaviors highlights the danger of disregarding students cheating at university. © 2013 Springer Science+Business Media Dordrecht.

Abstract
Most of the original image feature detectors are not able to cope with large photometric variations, and their extensions that should improve detection eventually increase the computational cost and introduce more noise to the system. Here we extend the original SURF algorithm increasing its invariance to illumination changes. Our approach uses the local space average color descriptor as working space to detect invariant features. A theoretical analysis demonstrates the impact of distinct photometric variations on the response of blob-like features detected with the SURF algorithm. Experimental results demonstrate the effectiveness of the approach in several illumination conditions including the presence of two or more distinct light sources, variations in color, in offset and scale.

Abstract
This paper describes a power conversion system that implements bidirectional power flow between the electric grid and a battery, based on a full bridge inverter associated with a dual active bridge. A method for power flow control based on the agreement between battery pack and low voltage grid requirements has been developed to allow the large penetration of both, electric vehicles (EV) and renewable microgeneration. A laboratory prototype containing all functions required to implement a vehicle-to-grid (V2G) power interface has been built. The hardware implementation is reported, including control scheme and high-frequency transformer design details. Converter key waveforms are presented to evaluate the power quality on batteries and grid, as well as its dynamic behavior. An experimental laboratory setup is described and results are shown to demonstrate the technical benefits for low-voltage (LV) microgrids, if electric vehicle charger includes a power flow control based on frequency-voltage droop concept. © 2013 IEEE.