bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Precise navigation surgery of tumours in the lung in mouse models enabled by in situ fluorescence labelling with a killer-reporter adenovirus
Authors: Yano Shuya , Zhang Yong , Miwa Shinji , Kishimoto Hiroyuki , Urata Yasuo , Bouvet Michael , Kagawa Shunsuke , Fujiwara Toshiyoshi , Hoffman Robert M
Published: September 2015

Background

Current methods of image-guided surgery of tumours of the lung mostly rely on CT. A sensitive procedure of selective tumour fluorescence labelling would allow simple and high-resolution visualisation of the tumour for precise surgical navigation.

Methods

Human lung cancer cell lines H460 and A549 were genetically transformed to express red fluorescent protein (RFP). Tumours were grown subcutaneously for each cell line and harvested and minced for surgical orthotopic implantation on the left lung of nude mice. Tumour growth was measured by fluorescence imaging. After the tumours reached 5 mm in diameter, they were injected under fluorescence guidance with the telomerase-dependent green fluorescent protein (GFP)-containing adenovirus, OBP-401. Viral labelling of the lung tumours with GFP precisely colocalised with tumour RFP expression. Three days after administration of OBP-401, fluorescence-guided surgery (FGS) was performed.

Results

FGS of tumours in the lung was enabled by labelling with a telomerase-dependent adenovirus containing theGFPgene. Tumours in the lung were selectively and brightly labelled. FGS enabled complete lung tumour resection with no residual fluorescent tumour.

Conclusions

FGS of tumours in the lung is feasible and more effective than bright-light surgery.
The pCONus device for the endovascular treatment of wide neck bifurcation aneurysms
Authors: Lubicz Boris , Morais Ricardo , Alghamdi Faisal , Mine Benjamin , Collignon Laurent , Eker Omer Faruk
Published: September 2015

Background and purpose

The pCONus is a new stent featuring a distal end that opens like a blossoming flower with four petals. The device is implanted in the aneurysm sac at the level of the neck. We report our initial experience in a series of patients treated with this device.

Methods

This retrospective study was approved by the authors’ ethics committees. 18 patients with 19 unruptured wide neck bifurcation intracranial aneurysms (IA) were treated by pCONus placement and coiling. Technical issues, immediate post treatment angiographic findings, and clinical and imaging follow-up were assessed.

Results

Embolization was successful in all patients. There were 11 women and 7 men with a mean age of 60 years. Median aneurysm size was 9 mm (range 5.5–25 mm). The device was precisely placed and detached in all cases, allowing for subsequent coiling. Two patients experienced a symptomatic complication, one of which, a thromboembolism, was related to the use of the pCONus. This patient had a slight hand paresis. 16 patients had a normal neurological examination at discharge. Immediate anatomical results were 13 complete occlusions, 2 neck remnants, and 4 incomplete occlusions. Imaging follow-up was obtained in 12 patients (mean 9.5 months, range 2–24 months) and showed 9 stable occlusions and 3 recanalizations, of which 2 were retreated.

Conclusions

In this initial series of patients, endovascular treatment of wide neck bifurcation IAs with the pCONus was feasible, with acceptable clinical and anatomical outcomes. Further studies are needed to evaluate the indications, safety, and efficacy of this new device.
Mechanical thrombectomy versus systemic thrombolysis in MCA stroke: a distance to thrombus-based outcome analysis
Authors: Lobsien Donald , Gawlitza Matthias , Schaudinn Alexander , Schob Stefan , Hobohm Carsten , Fritzsch Dominik , Quäschling Ulf , Hoffmann Karl-Titus , Friedrich Benjamin
Published: September 2015

Background

Acute ischemic stroke due to occlusion of the middle cerebral artery (MCA) has a poor outcome. The distance to thrombus (DT) from the carotid T can predict the outcome after intravenous thrombolysis (IVT). With a DT <16 mm, fewer than 50% of patients treated with IVT have a favorable outcome.

Objective

To compare stent retriever-based endovascular mechanical thrombectomy (MT) plus additional IVT (IVT–MT) with IVT alone.

Materials and methods

Patients with MCA occlusion proved by CT angiography with a DT <16 mm, treated with either IVT alone or with stent retriever-based endovascular IVT–MT, were included in this study. Changes in National Institutes of Health Stroke Scale (NIHSS), the 7-day NIHSS, and the 90-day modified Rankin Scale (mRS) scores were analyzed by treatment modality.

Results

Of 621 patients, 87 fulfilled all inclusion criteria. Fifty-nine patients were treated with IVT and 28 with IVT–MT. Although patients treated with IVT–MT had had significantly more severe strokes than those treated with IVT alone (initial NIHSS 16 (7–18) vs 14 (5–22); p=0.032), both the short- and long-term outcomes were significantly better in this patient group (NIHSS improvement on day 7: 10.9±6.3 vs 6.7±6.7; p=0.008/90-day mRS: 2 (0.75–2.5) vs 4 (2–6); p=0.003).

Conclusions

In patients with an acute MCA occlusion and a DT <16 mm, IVT–MT leads to a significantly better outcome than in patients treated with IVT alone.
THE EFFECT OF ISLAMIC SECONDARY SCHOOL ATTENDANCE ON ACADEMIC ACHIEVEMENT
Authors: ASADULLAH M. NIAZ
Published: September 2015

Using unique survey data on rural secondary school children, this paper evaluates the relative quality of Islamic secondary schools (i.e., madrasahs) in Bangladesh. Students attending registered madrasahs fare worse in maths and English than students attending non-madrasah schools. However, failure to account for non-random sorting overestimates the negative influence of madrasahs on student’s achievement. Evidence on the magnitude of this bias is presented. Once selection effect is taken into account, the madrasah’s disadvantage in English is small while that in maths becomes insignificant. Given the overall low level of achievement, this suggests that madrasah students perform just as poorly as those from non-madrasah schools in rural Bangladesh.
RISING OR FALLING INEQUALITY IN KOREA? POPULATION AGING AND GENERATIONAL TRENDS
Authors: KANG SUNG-JIN , RUDOLF ROBERT
Published: September 2015

Using 30 years of the South Korean household income and expenditure surveys (HIES) from 1982 to 2011, this paper argues that Korea experienced significantly differing generational trends in consumption and income inequality when taking demographic changes related to population aging into account. While income inequality stagnated or slightly rose over the past two generations, consumption inequality in fact declined. These antagonistic trends are likely due to better access of poorer households to financial markets as well as the gradual expansion of the welfare state. In the absence of appropriate policies, rapid population aging will substantially increase overall inequality in the future.
HAS INFLATION PERSISTENCE IN INDIA CHANGED OVER TIME?
Authors: JOHN JOICE
Published: September 2015

The temporal movement of reduced form inflation persistence for India was estimated using time-varying autoregressive models with stochastic volatility, using monthly data from April 2004 to June 2012. The results suggested an increasing trend in inflation persistence in India during 2004–2009, which had fallen down subsequently. Structural persistence was studied using a time-varying vector auto regression (VAR) model with inflation, output growth and interest rate as variables using quarterly data from 1996–1997 to 2011–2012. The results suggested that the inflation persistence which was higher in 2009 and 2010, had subsequently moderated.
Holocene sedimentary systems on a broad continental shelf with abundant river input: process–product relationships
Authors: Gao Shu , Wang Dandan , Yang Yang , Zhou Liang , Zhao Yangyang , Gao Wenhua , Han Zhuochen , Yu Qian , Li Gaocong
Published: September 2015

The region consisting of the Bohai, Yellow and East China seas represents a typical wide continental shelf environment with abundant terrestrial sediment supply. Here, a variety of sedimentary systems have been formed during the Holocene period. These systems have unique characteristics in terms of spatial distribution, material composition, deposition rate, and the timing and duration for their formation, which are related to active sediment-transport processes induced by tides and waves, shelf circulations, and sediment gravity flows. The sedimentary records contained within the deposits have a high temporal resolution, but each with a limited temporal coverage. However, if these records are connected, then they may form a complete archive for environmental change studies. In the field of process–product relationship studies, the mid-Holocene coastal deposits on the Jiangsu coast, the early–middle Holocene sequences of the Hangzhou Bay, the Holocene mud deposits off the Zhejiang–Fujian coasts and the other mud areas over the region are of importance. These systems may be understood by identifying the material supply (from both seabed reworking during the sea-level rise events and river discharges), transport-accumulation processes, the formation of sediment sequences and the future evolution of the sediment systems, for which numerical modelling becomes increasingly important.
Programmable Spike-Timing-Dependent Plasticity Learning Circuits in Neuromorphic VLSI Architectures
Authors: Azghadi Mostafa Rahimi , Moradi Saber , Fasnacht Daniel B. , Ozdas Mehmet Sirin , Indiveri Giacomo
Published: September 2015

Hardware implementations of spiking neural networks offer promising solutions for computational tasks that require compact and low-power computing technologies. As these solutions depend on both the specific network architecture and the type of learning algorithm used, it is important to develop spiking neural network devices that offer the possibility to reconfigure their network topology and to implement different types of learning mechanisms. Here we present a neuromorphic multi-neuron VLSI device with on-chip programmable event-based hybrid analog/digital circuits; the event-based nature of the input/output signals allows the use of address-event representation infrastructures for configuring arbitrary network architectures, while the programmable synaptic efficacy circuits allow the implementation of different types of spike-based learning mechanisms. The main contributions of this article are to demonstrate how the programmable neuromorphic system proposed can be configured to implement specific spike-based synaptic plasticity rules and to depict how it can be utilised in a cognitive task. Specifically, we explore the implementation of different spike-timing plasticity learning rules online in a hybrid system comprising a workstation and when the neuromorphic VLSI device is interfaced to it, and we demonstrate how, after training, the VLSI device can perform as a standalone component (i.e., without requiring a computer), binary classification of correlated patterns.
Data Model Property Inference, Verification, and Repair for Web Applications
Authors: Nijjar Jaideep , Bocić Ivan , Bultan Tevfik
Published: September 2015

Most software systems nowadays are Web-based applications that are deployed over compute clouds using a three-tier architecture, where the persistent data for the application is stored in a backend datastore and is accessed and modified by the server-side code based on the user interactions at the client-side. The data model forms the foundation of these three tiers, and identifies the sets of objects (object classes) and the relations among them (associations among object classes) stored by the application. In this article, we present a set of property patterns to specify properties of a data model, as well as several heuristics for automatically inferring them. We show that the specified or inferred data model properties can be automatically verified using bounded and unbounded verification techniques. For the properties that fail, we present techniques that generate fixes to the data model that establish the failing properties. We implemented this approach for Web applications built using the Ruby on Rails framework and applied it to ten open source applications. Our experimental results demonstrate that our approach is effective in automatically identifying and fixing errors in data models of real-world web applications.
Low-Power Heterogeneous Graphene Nanoribbon-CMOS Multistate Volatile Memory Circuit
Authors: Khasanvis Santosh , Habib K. M. Masum , Rahman Mostafizur , Lake Roger , Moritz Csaba Andras
Published: September 2015

Graphene is an emerging nanomaterial believed to be a potential candidate for post-Si nanoelectronics due to its exotic properties. Recently, a new
graphene nanoribbon crossbar
(xGNR) device was proposed which exhibits
negative differential resistance
(NDR). In this article, a multistate memory design is presented that can store multiple bits in a single cell enabled by this xGNR device, called
graphene nanoribbon tunneling random access memory
(GNTRAM). An approach to increase the number of bits per cell is explored alternative to physical scaling to overcome CMOS SRAM limitations. A comprehensive design for quaternary GNTRAM is presented as a baseline, implemented with a heterogeneous integration between graphene and CMOS. Sources of leakage and approaches to mitigate them are investigated. This design is extensively benchmarked against 16nm CMOS SRAMs and 3T DRAM. The proposed quaternary cell shows up to 2.27× density benefit versus 16nm CMOS SRAMs and 1.8× versus 3T DRAM. It has comparable read performance and is power efficient up to 1.32× during active period and 818× during standby against high-performance SRAMs. Multistate GNTRAM has the potential to realize high-density low-power nanoscale embedded memories. Further improvements may be possible by using graphene more extensively, as graphene transistors become available in the future.
FinFET-Based Low-Swing Clocking
Authors: Sitik Can , Salman Emre , Filippini Leo , Yoon Sung Jun , Taskin Baris
Published: September 2015

A low-swing clocking methodology is introduced to achieve low-power operation at 20nm FinFET technology. Low-swing clock trees are used in existing methodologies in order to decrease the dynamic power consumption in a trade-off for 3 issues: (1) the effect of leakage power consumption, which is becoming more dominant when the process scales sub-32nm; (2) the increase in insertion delay, resulting in a high clock skew; and (3) the difficulty in driving the existing DFF sinks with a low-swing clock signal without a timing violation. In this article, a FinFET-based low-swing clocking methodology is introduced to preserve the dynamic power savings of low-swing clocking while minimizing these three negative effects, facilitated through an efficient use of FinFET technology. At scaled performance constraints, the proposed methodology at 20nm FinFET leads to 42% total power savings (clock network+DFF) compared to a FinFET-based full-swing counterpart at the same frequency (3 GHz), thanks to the dynamic power savings of low-swing clocking and 3% power savings compared to a CMOS-based low-swing implementation running at the half frequency (1.5 GHz), thanks to the leakage power savings of FinFET technology.
A Survey on Low-Power Techniques with Emerging Technologies
Authors: Gaillardon Pierre-Emmanuel , Beigne Edith , Lesecq Suzanne , Micheli Giovanni De
Published: September 2015

Nowadays, power consumption is one of the main limitations of electronic systems. In this context, novel and emerging devices provide new opportunities to extend the trend toward low-power design. In this survey article, we present a transversal survey on energy-efficient techniques ranging from devices to architectures. The actual trends of device research, with fully depleted planar devices, tri-gate geometries, and gate-all-around structures, allows us to reach an increasingly higher level of performance while reducing the associated power. In addition, beyond the simple device property enhancements, emerging devices also lead to innovations at the circuit and architectural levels. In particular, devices whose properties can be tuned through additional terminals enable a fine and dynamic control of device threshold. They also enable designers to realize logic gates and to implement power-related techniques in a compact way unreachable to standard technologies. These innovations reduce power consumption at the gate level and unlock new means of actuation in architectural solutions like adaptive voltage and frequency scaling.
Game-Theoretic Mechanisms to Increase Data Availability in Decentralized Storage Systems
Authors: Rzadca Krzysztof , Datta Anwitaman , Kreitz Gunnar , Buchegger Sonja
Published: September 2015

In a decentralized storage system, agents replicate each other’s data to increase availability. Compared to organizationally centralized solutions, such as cloud storage, a decentralized storage system requires less trust in the provider and may result in smaller monetary costs. Our system is based on reciprocal storage contracts that allow the agents to adopt to changes in their replication partners’ availability (by dropping inefficient contracts and forming new contracts with other partners). The data availability provided by the system is a function of the participating agents’ availability. However, a straightforward system in which agents’ matching is decentralized uses the given agent availability inefficiently. As agents are autonomous, the highly available agents form cliques replicating data between each other, which makes the system too hostile for the weakly available newcomers. In contrast, a centralized, equitable matching is not incentive compatible: it does not reward users for keeping their software running.

We solve this dilemma by a mixed solution: an “adoption” mechanism in which highly available agents donate some replication space, which in turn is used to help the worst-off agents. We show that the adoption motivates agents to increase their availability (is incentive-compatible), but also that it is sufficient for acceptable data availability for weakly-available agents.
MAPE-K Formal Templates to Rigorously Design Behaviors for Self-Adaptive Systems
Authors: Iglesia Didac Gil De La , Weyns Danny
Published: September 2015

Designing software systems that have to deal with dynamic operating conditions, such as changing availability of resources and faults that are difficult to predict, is complex. A promising approach to handle such dynamics is self-adaptation that can be realized by a MAPE-K feedback loop (Monitor-Analyze-Plan-Execute plus Knowledge). To provide evidence that the system goals are satisfied, given the changing conditions, the state of the art advocates the use of formal methods. However, little research has been done on consolidating design knowledge of self-adaptive systems. To support designers, this paper contributes with a set of formally specified MAPE-K templates that encode design expertise for a family of self-adaptive systems. The templates comprise: (1) behavior specification templates for modeling the different components of a MAPE-K feedback loop (based on networks of timed automata), and (2) property specification templates that support verification of the correctness of the adaptation behaviors (based on timed computation tree logic). To demonstrate the reusability of the formal templates, we performed four case studies in which final-year Masters students used the templates to design different self-adaptive systems.
Process Variability and Electrostatic Analysis of Molecular QCA
Authors: Graziano Mariagrazia , Pulimeno Azzurra , Wang Ruiyu , Wei Xiang , Roch Massimo Ruo , Piccinini Gianluca
Published: September 2015

Molecular quantum-dot cellular automata
(mQCA) is an emerging paradigm for nanoscale computation. Its revolutionary features are the expected operating frequencies (THz), the high device densities, the noncryogenic working temperature, and, above all, the limited power densities.

The main drawback of this technology is a consequence of one of its very main advantages, that is, the extremely small size of a single molecule. Device prototyping and the fabrication of a simple circuit are limited by lack of control in the technological process [Pulimeno et al. 2013a]. Moreover, high defectivity might strongly impact the correct behavior of mQCA devices. Another challenging point is the lack of a solid method for analyzing and simulating mQCA behavior and performance, either in ideal or defective conditions.

Our contribution in this article is threefold: (i) We identify a methodology based on both ab-initio simulations and post-processing of data for analyzing an mQCA system adopting an electronic point of view (we baptized this method as “MoSQuiTo”); (ii) we assess the performance of an mQCA device (in this case, a bis- ferrocene molecule) working in nonideal conditions, using as a reference the information on fabrication-critical issues and on the possible defects that we are obtaining while conducting our own ongoing experiments on mQCA: (iii) we determine and assess the electrostatic energy stored in a bis-ferrocene molecule both in an oxidized and reduced form.

Results presented here consist of quantitative information for an mQCA device working in manifold driving conditions and subjected to defects. This information is given in terms of: (a) output voltage; (b)
safe operating area
(SOA); (c) electrostatic energy; and (d) relation between SOA and energy, that is, possible energy reduction subject to reliability and functionality constraints. The whole analysis is a first fundamental step toward the study of a complex mQCA circuit. It gives important suggestions on possible improvements of the technological processes. Moreover, it starts an interesting assessment on the energy of an mQCA, one of the most promising features of this technology.
Autonomous Orchestration of Distributed Discrete Event Simulations in the Presence of Resource Uncertainty
Authors: Sui Zhiquan , Malensek Matthew , Harvey Neil , Pallickara Shrideep
Published: September 2015

Discrete event simulations model the behavior of complex, real-world systems. Simulating a wide range of events and conditions provides a more nuanced model, but also increases its computational footprint. To manage these processing requirements in a scalable manner, discrete event simulations can be distributed across multiple computing resources. Orchestrating the simulations in a distributed setting involves coping with
resource uncertainty.
We consider three key aspects of resource uncertainty: resource failures, heterogeneity, and slowdowns. Each of these aspects is managed autonomously, which involves making accurate predictions of future execution times and latencies while also accounting for differences in hardware capabilities and dynamic resource consumption profiles. Further complicating matters, individual tasks within the simulation are stateful and stochastic, requiring inter-task communication and synchronization to produce accurate outcomes. We deal with these challenges through intelligent state collection and migration, active resource monitoring, and empirical evaluation of resource capabilities under changing conditions. To underscore the viability of our solution, we provide benchmarks using a production discrete event simulation that can simultaneously sustain failures, manage resource heterogeneity, and handle slowdowns while being orchestrated by our framework.
Automated Support for Reproducing and Debugging Field Failures
Authors: Jin Wei , Orso Alessandro
Published: September 2015

As confirmed by a recent survey conducted among developers of the Apache, Eclipse, and Mozilla projects, two extremely challenging tasks during maintenance are reproducing and debugging field failures—failures that occur on user machines after release. To help developers with these tasks, in this article we present an overall approach that comprises two different techniques: B
ug
R
edux
and F
3
. B
ug
R
edux
is a general technique for reproducing field failures that collects dynamic data about failing executions in the field and uses this data to synthesize executions that mimic the observed field failures. F
3
leverages the executions generated by B
ug
R
edux
to perform automated debugging using a set of suitably optimized fault-localization techniques. To assess the usefulness of our approach, we performed an empirical evaluation of the approach on a set of real-world programs and field failures. The results of our evaluation are promising in that, for all the failures considered, our approach was able to (1) synthesize failing executions that mimicked the observed field failures, (2) synthesize passing executions similar to the failing ones, and (3) use the synthesized executions to successfully perform fault localization with accurate results.
Energy-Neutral Design Framework for Supercapacitor-Based Autonomous Wireless Sensor Networks
Authors: Le Trong Nhan , Pegatoquet Alain , Berder Olivier , Sentieys Olivier , Carer Arnaud
Published: September 2015

To design autonomous
wireless sensor networks
(WSNs) with a theoretical infinite lifetime,
energy harvesting
(EH) techniques have been recently considered as promising approaches. Ambient sources can provide everlasting additional energy for WSN nodes and exclude their dependence on battery. In this article, an efficient energy harvesting system which is compatible with various environmental sources, such as light, heat, or wind energy, is proposed. Our platform takes advantage of double-level capacitors not only to prolong system lifetime but also to enable robust booting from the exhausting energy of the system. Simulations and experiments show that our
multiple-energy-sources converter
(MESC) can achive booting time in order of seconds. Although capacitors have virtual recharge cycles, they suffer higher leakage compared to rechargeable batteries. Increasing their size can decrease the system performance due to leakage energy. Therefore, an energy-neutral design framework providing a methodology to determine the minimum size of those storage devices satisfying
energy-neutral operation
(ENO) and maximizing system
quality-of-service
(QoS) in EH nodes, when using a given energy source, is proposed. Experiments validating this framework are performed on a real WSN platform with both photovoltaic cells and thermal generators in an indoor environment. Moreover, simulations on OMNET++ show that the energy storage optimized from our design framework is utilized up to 93.86%.
Thermodynamic Relations for Kiselev and Dilaton Black Hole
Authors: Majeed Bushra , Jamil Mubasher , Pradhan Parthapratim
Published: September 2015

We investigate the thermodynamics and phase transition for Kiselev black hole and dilaton black hole. Specifically we consider Reissner-Nordström black hole surrounded by radiation and dust and Schwarzschild black hole surrounded by quintessence, as special cases of Kiselev solution. We have calculated the products relating the surface gravities, surface temperatures, Komar energies, areas, entropies, horizon radii, and the irreducible masses at the Cauchy and the event horizons. It is observed that the product of surface gravities, product of surface temperature, and product of Komar energies at the horizons are not universal quantities for the Kiselev solutions while products of areas and entropies at both the horizons are independent of mass of the above-mentioned black holes (except for Schwarzschild black hole surrounded by quintessence). For charged dilaton black hole, all the products vanish. The first law of thermodynamics is also verified for Kiselev solutions. Heat capacities are calculated and phase transitions are observed, under certain conditions.
From Self-Disorders to Ego Disorders
Authors: Fuchs Thomas
Published: September 2015

While the concept of disorders of basic self-experience as the clinical core of schizophrenia spectrum disorders has gained increasing significance and empirical support, several questions remain still unresolved. One major problem is to understand how the basic and prodromal self-disturbances are related to Schneider's first rank symptoms, in particular to the so-called ‘ego disorders' found in acute psychotic episodes. The study of the transition from prodromal to first rank symptoms, for example from alienated thoughts to thoughts aloud or thought insertions, is of particular importance for understanding the nature and course of schizophrenia. The paper analyses the emergence of ego disorders from basic self-disorders in phenomenological terms, taking the examples of motor passivity experiences and thought insertion. It is argued that full-blown delusions of alien control are ultimately based on a disturbance of the intentionality of thinking, feeling and acting. This disturbance, for its part, may be traced back to anomalies of self-experience in prodromal stages of schizophrenia.
Medical Therapy of Fibrostenotic Crohn's Disease
Authors: Siegmund Britta
Published: September 2015

Introduction: The present review serves to provide a concise overview of the current knowledge on therapeutic strategies with regard to fibrostenotic lesions in Crohn's disease. Methods: A literature search was performed focusing on the last 5 years, and current concepts of pathophysiology, epidemiology, and treatment have been summarized. Results: Fibrostenotic lesions in Crohn's disease are currently considered to be a consequence of the chronic inflammatory nature of the disease. Hence, therapeutic strategies are limited to the concept that early treatment of the inflammatory lesions can prevent structural changes, and to various endoscopic and surgical approaches. Direct targeting of the fibrostenotic lesion itself has not been the focus until now. This review will provide an overview of the pathophysiology and epidemiology of fibrostenotic lesions including current therapeutic approaches. Since research with regard to other organ systems and fibrosis is far more advanced, current strategies from available studies in these areas will be discussed. The results and the potential impact for Crohn's disease will be considered. Conclusion: The vision of these approaches is to reverse structural changes and restore normal function.
Self-Disorders: Clinical and Conceptual Implications for the Diagnostic Concept of Schizophrenia
Authors: Parnas Josef , Jansson Lennart B.
Published: September 2015

The release of DSM-5 and the preparations for the launch of the ICD-11 provoked a series of critiques of psychiatric classification, which continues to depend largely on clinical description. Among the immediate problems are those of arbitrary diagnostic thresholds, tendency to reification, rigid category boundaries, comorbidity, diagnostic ‘epidemics' and differential diagnostic dilemmas. We argue that many of those problems stem from the polythetic-operational definitions of psychiatric categories, which thereby come to lack an organizing prototype-directed or gestaltic intelligibility principle. We illustrate these issues by briefly examining the current operational diagnosis of schizophrenia, its demarcation from affective illness and the status of the spectrum concept and the prodrome of schizophrenia. We point out that European research on schizophrenia always allocated an important diagnostic weight to a certain prototypical trait core of the illness, phenomenologically indispensable for its demarcation from other, nonschizophrenic psychotic conditions. We believe that the notion of self-disorder (reflective of the structural alterations of subjectivity), itemized into its various aspects in the Examination of Anomalous Self-Experience scale, is an important step forward in a more precise psychopathological articulation of that core, strengthening its clinical and research utility.
The Association between Participation of Adolescents in Community Groups and Dental Caries in a Deprived Area in Brazil
Authors: Silva Catarina de Araújo Teixeira , Rebelo Vieira Janete Maria , Rebelo Maria Augusta Bessa , Vettore Mario Vianna
Published: September 2015

There is limited evidence concerning the role of social networks on the oral health of adolescents. This study assessed the association between the participation of adolescents in community groups and dental caries. A cross-sectional household-based study was carried out involving 200 subjects aged 15-19 years living in a deprived area in the state of Amazon, Brazil. Dental caries was assessed through dental examinations using the DMFT index conducted by a single examiner who was previously calibrated. Four dental caries outcomes were investigated, including caries experience (DMFT score), current caries (number of current decayed teeth), missing teeth due to caries, and the care index (ratio between number of filled teeth and DMFT score). Details of participation of adolescents in community groups, demographic and socioeconomic data and information on dental visiting were obtained through individual interviews. All caries measures were significantly higher in adolescents who did not participate in community groups compared to their counterparts. Multivariate Poisson regression showed that participation of adolescents in community groups was independently associated with all dental caries outcomes. After adjusting for confounders, participation in community groups was statistically associated with lower DMFT score (ratio of mean, RM: 0.33, 95% CI: 0.24-0.46), fewer decayed teeth (RM: 0.23, 95% CI: 0.11-0.47), fewer missing teeth (RM: 0.28, 95% CI: 0.17-0.47), and higher care index (RM: 1.69, 95% CI: 1.24-2.29) than those who did not participate. Participation of adolescents in community activities was related to lower levels of dental caries.
The ‘Self' and Borderline Personality Disorder: Conceptual and Clinical Considerations
Authors: Kerr Ian B. , Finlayson-Short Laura , McCutcheon Louise K. , Beard Hilary , Chanen Andrew M.
Published: September 2015

Some concept of self has been used by many, although not all, researchers and clinicians as an ‘organising construct' for borderline personality disorder (BPD). There is considerable variation in this usage and how clearly researchers have defined the self. Given this diversity, and that ‘self' is often used interchangeably with parallel concepts (e.g. psyche, brain-mind, ‘person') or with features of self (e.g. self-awareness, identity), unqualified use of the term is problematic. This is further complicated by the heterogeneity and ‘comorbidity' of BPD and the limitations of syndromally based psychiatric nosology. Still, BPD remains in current classification systems and can be reliably diagnosed. A considerable body of research on self and BPD has accrued, including a recent profusion and confluence of neuroscientific and sociopsychological findings. These have generated supporting evidence for a supra-ordinate, functionally constituted entity of the self ranging over multiple, interacting levels from an unconscious, ‘core' self, through to a reflective, phenotypic, ‘idiographic' and relational self constituted by interpersonal and sociocultural experience. Important insights have been generated regarding emotional and social-cognitive dysregulation, disorder of self-awareness, relationality, identity, and coherence and continuity of the self. Many of these are shared by various trauma-related, dissociative disorders. A construct of the self could be useful as an explanatory principle in BPD, which could be construed as a ‘self-state' (and relational) disorder, as opposed to a less severe disorder of aspects of the self (e.g. mood or memory). We offer a tentative description of ‘Self' in this context, noting that any such construct will require a clear definition and to be evaluable.
Thalamic Lesions Caused by Deep Cerebral Venous Thrombosis: A Retrospective Study
Authors: Caplan Louis R. , Wang Qiaoshu
Published: September 2015

Background: Thalamic lesion due to deep cerebral venous thrombosis (DCVT) is an uncommon cause of stroke. Until now, only a few case reports have been published. The aim of the study is to report the clinical and radiological findings of thalamic lesion with DCVT. Methods: We reviewed our computerized stroke database of patients from October 1998 through December 2012; the diagnosis of thalamic lesion and DCVT was made in 5 patients who had done brain MRI and magnetic resonance venography. Results: Five patients had thalamic lesion and DCVT with ages ranging from 27 to 79 years (mean age, 47 years). Chronic and insidious headache was the most common initial clinical symptom. Neuropsychological abnormalities were present in 4 patients. All patients had a decreased level of consciousness. Four patients did well, with no (n = 1) or mild (n = 3) disability on the modified Rankin Scale at a 6-month follow-up examination. Conclusion: Thalamic lesion can be caused by DCVT with neuropsychological and radiological features that should be considered in the differential diagnosis of intracranial artery occlusion or bleeding, especially in young patients. In this small group, most patients survived with few or mild defects.
Response to IGF-1 Generation Test in Short Prepubertal Children Born Very Preterm or at Term
Authors: Miles Harriet L. , Derraik José G.B. , Chiavaroli Valentina , Hofman Paul L. , Cutfield Wayne S.
Published: September 2015

Aims: To investigate whether short children born very preterm (<32 weeks of gestation) exhibit features of growth hormone (GH) resistance compared to term peers. Methods: We studied 26 prepubertal children (aged 7.0 ± 2.0 years) with short stature (height adjusted for parents' heights <10th percentile), who were born appropriate for gestational age and either very preterm (n = 11) or at term (n = 15). Children underwent insulin-like growth factor-1 (IGF-1) generation test via a daily recombinant human GH (rhGH) dose (0.05 mg/kg/day) over 4 consecutive days. Hormone and binding proteins were measured at baseline and day 5. Results: At baseline, preterm children had lower IGF-binding protein 1 (IGFBP-1; -22%; p = 0.049) and IGFBP-3 (-24%; p = 0.013) concentrations than term children. Preterm children also had insulin concentrations that tended to be 39% higher (p = 0.059) than term peers. After stimulation, IGF-1 and IGFBP-3 concentrations increased similarly in term and preterm groups, while GH-binding protein (GHBP) concentrations decreased in both groups. Preterm children had higher GHBP (+50%; p = 0.049), insulin (+86%; p = 0.005), and leptin (+107%; p = 0.020) but lower IGFBP-1 (-47%; p = 0.006) concentrations than term children following rhGH stimulation. Conclusions: Preterm children who are short for genetic height potential show no evidence of GH resistance that would explain their short stature. However, there was indirect evidence of insulin resistance in the preterm children, as previously described in this group.
Sex identification of juvenile sand lizards, Lacerta agilis using digital images
Authors: Eplanova Galina V. , Roitberg Evgeny S.
Published: September 2015

Sexing neonate animals is necessary for many evolutionary and ecological studies. Yet non-invasive sex identification of neonate reptiles is often problematic because these do not exhibit salient differences in colouration and body proportions. We examined digital images of the ventral body surface in 214 adult or subadult individuals (95 males + 119 females), 59 juveniles (29 + 30), and 156 hatchlings of the Eurasian sand lizard, Lacerta agilis. Two quantitative traits, the number of transverse rows of ventral scales and the width/length ratio of the anal plate, which are easily recordable from digital images and show no substantial correlation with body size, exhibit pronounced sexual dimorphism. A discriminant function derived from these two characters allows correct identification of the sex in 90% of juvenile individuals when males and females of older stages are used as reference samples. Also, we introduce a new qualitative trait, namely the presence/absence of the skin hyperaemia behind cloaca in hatchlings, and provide indirect evidence that this trait is likely to be strongly associated with sex.
Assessing the heritability of dorsal pattern shape in Vipera latastei
Authors: Martínez-Freiría Fernando , Santos Xavier
Published: September 2015

The ecological advantages of dorsal pattern in European vipers, having aposematic/cryptic roles and/or enhancing thermoregulation among others, suggest that dorsal colouration is adaptive and submitted to selection. We have assessed its heritability by comparing the number of dorsal blotches (a quantitative measure of the dorsal-pattern shape) between 23 Vipera latastei females and their brood across the Iberian Peninsula. We found a high correlation () between both female and brood blotch counts suggesting a high heritability for this character. Previous studies reported that the number of dorsal blotches shows geographic variation across the Iberian Peninsula and supported the adaptive character of dorsal pattern shape in V. latastei. This is a new contribution to understand the mechanisms involved in dorsal pattern variation in European vipers.
Lizards along an agricultural land abandonment gradient in Pindos Mountains, Greece
Authors: Zakkak Sylvia , Halley John Maxwell , Akriotis Triantafyllos , Kati Vasiliki
Published: September 2015

Agricultural land abandonment is recognized as one of the main environmental drivers in Southern Europe, affecting ecological communities. Lizards, as ectothermic species with low dispersal capacity, are particularly prone to the threats associated with land use changes. We investigated the effect of land abandonment on lizards in a remote mountainous area in Greece, using line transect sampling, in 20 randomly selected sites [1 km × 1 km], along a four grade abandonment gradient in terms of forest encroachment. We recorded four species: Algyroides nigropunctatus, Lacerta viridis/trilineata, Podarcis tauricus and Podarcis muralis, the latter being the most abundant. Our results did not provide evidence for a significant effect of forest encroachment or grazing on lizard diversity, given the dominance of P. muralis, the availability of all microhabitat types along the gradient and the low grazing intensity in the study area. Environmental parameters at the macrohabitat scale did not prove determinant for habitat variance, but microhabitat analysis showed a clear preference of P. muralis to bare ground. Despite the non-significant effects of land abandonment on lizard diversity, the dominance of P. muralis tends to indicate a lizard community shift towards species inhabiting forested habitats. The preservation of open microhabitats, such as bare land, is considered of great importance for promoting high levels of lizard diversity, as their loss would affect even species currently widespread in forested ecosystems. Low intensity grazing, as well as the enhancement of wild ungulate populations in abandoned areas, can contribute to halting forest encroachment and maintaining the required habitat heterogeneity.
Cryptic diversity of green pitvipers in Yunnan, South-west China (Squamata, Viperidae)
Authors: Guo Peng , Liu Qin , Zhong Guanghui , Zhu Fei , Yan Fang , Tang Ting , Xiao Rong , Fang Min , Wang Ping , Fu Xin
Published: September 2015

The biodiversity of Yunnan, which is located in the Hengduan Mountains region of South-west China, is still underestimated. Here, we explore species diversity of Asian green pitvipers occurring in this region. Based on four mtDNA gene fragments (cyt. b, ND4, 12S RNA, and 16S RNA), we inferred phylogenetic position and relationships of Yunnan green pitvipers using Bayesian Inference (BI) and Maximum Likelihood (ML) methods. Both methods consistently revealed that all examined Yunnan specimens are placed in five clades which should be referred toTrimeresurus albolabris,Viridovipera stejnegeri,V. gumprechti, and the genusPopeia, respectively. It was unexpected that the samples allied toV. gumprechtidid not form a monophyletic clade, but rather two well supported, distinct clades. Further morphological comparison suggested that the specimens nested within the cladePopeiashould be identified asP. popeiorum, which is a species new to China. As a result, there are currently at least five species occurring in Yunnan, China:Trimeresurus albolabris,Viridovipera stejnegeri,V. yunnanensis,V. gumprechti, andPopeia popeiorum.
Genetic structure and differentiation of the fire salamander Salamandra salamandra at the northern margin of its range in the Carpathians
Authors: Najbar Anna , Babik Wiesław , Najbar Bartłomiej , Ogielska Maria
Published: September 2015

Amphibian populations occurring at the margin of the species range exhibit lower genetic variation due to strong genetic drift and long-term isolation. Limited mobility and site fidelity together with habitat changes may accelerate genetic processes leading to local extinction. Here, we analyze genetic variation of the fire salamander subspeciesSalamandra s. salamandrainhabiting the Outer Carpathian region in Poland, at the northern border of its distribution. Nuclear DNA polymorphism based on 10 microsatellite loci of 380 individuals sampled in 11 populations were analysed to measure gene flow between subpopulations and possible long-term isolation. Mitochondrial DNA control region analysis among 17 individuals representing 13 localities was used to detect the origin of populations which colonized Northern Europe after the last glaciation. Overall, pairwise FST’s and AMOVA test of ‘among group’ variation showed little differences in the allele frequencies and relatively high local gene flow. However, Bayesian clustering results revealed subtle structuring between eastern and western part of the studied region. Two extreme marginal populations from the Carpathian Piedmont revealed reduced genetic variation which may be attributed to strong influence of genetic drift. Only one mitochondrial DNA haplotype (type IIb) was found in all individuals and suggest that after the Last Glacial MaximumSalamandra salamandramigrated to the North-Western Europe from the single glacial refugium placed in the Balkan Peninsula.
Of Higher Intentions and Lower Expectations
Authors: Bohlander Michael
Published: September 2015

The author had planned to work on a monograph related to the potential of using the maqāṣid in Islamic jurisprudence, uncoupled from their religious foundations, as a tool for the conversation with secular law and legal thinking, which by and large has shed its own religious roots and proceeded to an ethics-driven approach based on public policy or interest, and/or systemic logical coherence. The premise of the research project was that lawyers largely think the same thoughts and that they use different building blocks to construct rather similar-looking houses. The main instrument of the research was a survey questionnaire with a series of case-based scenarios sent to a number of Islamic scholars to provide the answers to the scenarios from the Shari’ah perspective. The survey failed in its entirety, so the research turned into an attempt to find the reasons for the failure. This paper will set out reflections on why it went wrong.
The Prosecution of Human Traffickers?
Authors: Siller Nicole
Published: September 2015

Despite its international construction and codification, the criminal offence of ‘trafficking in persons’ is absent from the statutes of international judicial institutions. Does this result in the inability to hold those who engage in the traffic of human beings accountable under international criminal law? While certain offenders are charged with the international crime against humanity of enslavement, it appears as though the establishment of their guilt often materialised (at least in part), on the converging characteristics of ‘trafficking in persons’ as codified in the Palermo Protocol and enslavement. Can this course of action survive, or should our present international judicial forums recognise ‘trafficking in persons’ as a separately codified offence and crime against humanity?