Abstract
Purpose: To develop a clinical staging system based on the PIRO concept (Predisposition, Infection, Response and Organ dysfunction) for hospitalized patients with infection. Methods: One year prospective cohort study of all hospitalized patients with infection (n = 1035), admitted into a large tertiary care, university hospital. Variables associated with hospital mortality were selected using logistic regressions. Based on the regression coefficients, a score for each PIRO component was developed and a classification tree was used to stratify patients into four stages of increased risk of hospital mortality. The final clinical staging system was then validated using an independent cohort (n = 186). Results: Factors significantly associated with hospital mortality were . for Predisposition: age, sex, previous antibiotic therapy, chronic hepatic disease, chronic hematologic disease, cancer, atherosclerosis and a Karnofsky index, 70; . for Insult/Infection: type of infection . for Response: abnormal temperature, tachypnea, hyperglycemia and severity of infection and . for Organ dysfunction: hypotension and SOFA score >= 1. The area under the ROC curve (CI95%) for the combined PIRO model as a predictor for mortality was 0.85 (0.82-0.88). Based on the scores for each of the PIRO components and on the cut-offs estimated from the classification tree, patients were stratified into four stages of increased mortality rates: stage I: <= 5%, stage II: 6-20%, stage III: 21-50% and stage IV: >50%. Finally, this new clinical staging system was studied in a validation cohort, which provided similar results (0%, 9%, 31% and 67%, in each stage, respectively). Conclusions: Based on the PIRO concept, a new clinical staging system was developed for hospitalized patients with infection, allowing stratification into four stages of increased mortality, using the different scores obtained in Predisposition, Response, Infection and Organ dysfunction. The proposed system will likely help to define inclusion criteria in clinical trials as well as tailoring individual management plans for patients with infection.

Abstract

Abstract
XSLT is a powerful and widely used language for transforming XML documents. However, its power and complexity can be overwhelming for novice or infrequent users, many of whom simply give up on using this language. On the other hand, many XSLT programs of practical use are simple enough to be automatically inferred from examples of source and target documents. An inferred XSLT program is seldom adequate for production usage but can be used as a skeleton of the final program, or at least as scaffolding in the process of coding it. It should be noted that the authors do not claim that XSLT programs, in general, can be inferred from examples. The aim of Vishnu-the XSLT generator engine described in this chapter-is to produce XSLT programs for processing documents similar to the given examples and with enough readability to be easily understood by a programmer not familiar with the language. The architecture of Vishnu is composed by a graphical editor and a programming engine. In this chapter, the authors focus on the editor as a GWT Web application where the programmer loads and edits document examples and pairs their content using graphical primitives. The programming engine receives the data collected by the editor and produces an XSLT program. Copyright (C) 2013, IGI Global. Copying or distributing in print or electronic forms without written permission of IGI Global is prohibited.

Abstract
This Letter reports on the assembly on the tip of an optical fibre of a metamaterial film fabricated by a self-assembly bottom-up method, composed of silver nanowires embedded in an alumina matrix. By illuminating the film through the fibre in a reflection configuration, we observe experimentally the optical response of the metamaterial in agreement with theoretical predictions and interpreted as the excitation of surface plasmon-polaritons in the cylindrical surface of the nanowires. These results pave the way for low-cost optical fibre devices that incorporate metamaterial films. (c) 2013 WILEY-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim

Abstract
These files are the recordings and transcripts of 3 interviews made to 3 Dublin Core Application Profiles developers with the aim to understand the process of a DCAP development. These interviews are framed in a PhD project that has as goal the definition of a method for the development of Dublin Core Aplication Profiles. An Application Profile is a construct on the Semantic Web that enhances interoperability.

Abstract
Mountains are often considered as the world's water towers. This paper presents a critical review on the research concerning the integrated assessment of groundwater resources of the mountain hydrogeologic system of Serra da Estrela Natural Park (central Portugal). The study area is the Zzere river basin upstream of Manteigas village located at the Serra da Estrela Mountain in Central Portugal. It provides the source of strategic water resources for the Portuguese mainland, including normal groundwaters, thermomineral waters and surface waters. An integrated approach has been used to formulate a conceptual model for this complex mountain hydrogeological system by integrating the geological, morphotectonic, hydroclimatic, unsaturated soil zone, hydrogeological, hydrogeophysical, hydrogeochemical and isotopic data. This model has been useful to: i) evaluate the water resources; ii) provide the basis for a sustainable management of water resources, iii) design measures for groundwater exploitation and contamination control; and iv) set up land-use policies.