bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
The effects of periodontal treatment on pregnancy outcomes
Authors: Michalowicz Bryan S. , Gustafsson Anders , Thumbigere‐Math Vivek , Buhlin Kåre
Published: May 2013

Background: Preterm infants are at greater risk than term infants for physical and developmental disorders. Morbidity and mortality increases as gestational age at delivery decreases. Observational studies indicate an association between poor periodontal health and risk for preterm birth or low birthweight, making periodontitis a potentially modifiable risk factor for prematurity.

Aim: To identify randomized controlled trials (RCTs) published between January 2011 and July 2012 and discuss all published RCTs testing whether periodontal therapy reduces rates of preterm birth and low birthweight.

Methods: Search of databases including PubMed, ISI Web of Science and Cochrane Library.

Results: The single RCT identified showed no significant effect of periodontal treatment on birth outcomes.

Discussion: All published trials included non‐surgical periodontal therapy; only two included systemic antimicrobials as part of test therapy. The trials varied substantially in terms of sample size, obstetric histories of subjects, study preterm birth rates and the periodontal treatment response. The largest trials – also judged to be high‐quality and at low risk of bias – have yielded consistent results, and indicate that treatment does not alter rates of adverse pregnancy outcomes.

Conclusion: Non‐surgical periodontal therapy, scaling and root planing, does not improve birth outcomes in pregnant women with periodontitis.
Selection for Cold Tolerance during Flowering in Short‐Season Soybean
Authors: Cober Elroy R. , Molnar Stephen J. , Rai Satish , Soper John F. , Voldeng Harvey D.
Published: May 2013

Cold temperatures during early reproductive development may result in reduced pod and seed formation in soybean [Glycine max (L.) Merr.]. The objectives of this work were to quantify cold tolerance of six potential parents, to screen breeding populations for cold tolerance, to search for associations between molecular markers and cold tolerance phenotypes, and to evaluate field performance of breeding lines. Six cultivars were evaluated for pod and seed set after exposure to 0 to 6 wk cold periods (15/5°C day/night), which began at flowering in growth cabinets. Evaluation at 6 vs. 2 wk following the end of a 3 or 6 wk cold period best discriminated between cold tolerant (CT) and cold sensitive (CS) cultivars. Two recombinant inbred line populations were cold stressed in growth cabinets with divergent selection performed over the F5 through F7 generations to select CT and CS lines. Bulked segregant analysis identified six chromosomal regions, four of which are related by homology, as potentially impacting the trait. Over 8 yr in the field at Ottawa, Canada, CT lines yielded 379 kg ha−1 more but matured 5.5 d later than CS lines without visual symptoms of cold damage. Following selection for early maturity, random lines from an additional four populations developed from a selected CT and CS line each crossed to another CT and CS parent were field tested in three environments. Cold tolerant × CT lines yielded about 8% more than CS × CS lines, again without visual cold damage symptoms.
Calibration of a Novel Low‐Cost Soil Water Content Sensor Based on a Ring Oscillator
Authors: Qu W. , Bogena H.R. , Huisman J.A. , Vereecken H.
Published: May 2013

Wireless sensor networks are becoming more popular to monitor spatial and temporal variability of soil water content. The aim of this paper is to calibrate and test the newly developed SPADE sensor for wireless sensor network applications. During calibration, the measured sensor output is related to dielectric permittivity using an empirical calibration in liquids with well‐defined permittivities. Using these calibration measurements, we have evaluated sensor‐to‐sensor variability and compared the accuracy of a universal calibration between sensor output and permittivity with a sensor‐specific calibration. Our results showed that the sensor‐to‐sensor variability of the SPADE sensor is larger than sensor noise and that a sensor‐specific calibration can improve the accuracy of soil water content estimation as compared to a single universal calibration. To quantify the effect of temperature on the sensor output, we have derived a temperature correction function in a temperature range from 5 to 40°C. The results showed an underestimation for low temperatures (5 to 25°C) and an overestimation for high temperatures (25 to 40°C). A second‐order polynomial function was fitted to the measurements with good agreement (R2 = 0.9831, RMSE = 0.1489). The transferability of the temperature correction function from reference liquids to soils was verified using saturated coarse sand and a silty loam soil sample. The temperature‐corrected SPADE sensor measurements in soil showed good agreement with TDR measurements and corresponded well with theoretical predictions from a dielectric mixing model.
Vaginal Childbirth and Pelvic Floor Disorders
Authors: Memon Hafsa U , Handa Victoria L
Published: May 2013

Childbirth is an important event in a woman's life. Vaginal childbirth is the most common mode of delivery and it has been associated with increased incidence of pelvic floor disorders later in life. In this article, the authors review and summarize current literature associating pelvic floor disorders with vaginal childbirth. Stress urinary incontinence and pelvic organ prolapse are strongly associated with vaginal childbirth and parity. The exact mechanism of injury associating vaginal delivery with pelvic floor disorders is not known, but is likely multifactorial, potentially including mechanical and neurovascular injury to the pelvic floor. Observational studies have identified certain obstetrical exposures as risk factors for pelvic floor disorders. These factors often coexist in clusters; hence, the isolated effect of these variables on the pelvic floor is difficult to study.
Association Between Metformin Therapy and Mortality After Breast Cancer
Authors: Lega Iliana C. , Austin Peter C. , Gruneir Andrea , Goodwin Pamela J. , Rochon Paula A. , Lipscombe Lorraine L.
Published: May 2013

OBJECTIVE

Metformin has been associated with a reduction in breast cancer risk and may improve survival after cancer through direct and indirect tumor-suppressing mechanisms. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the effect of metformin therapy on survival in women with breast cancer using methods that accounted for the duration of treatment with glucose-lowering therapies.

RESEARCH DESIGN AND METHODS

This population-based study, using Ontario health care databases, recruited women aged 66 years or older diagnosed with diabetes and breast cancer between 1 April 1997 and 31 March 2008. Using Cox regression analyses, we explored the association between cumulative duration of past metformin use and all-cause and breast cancer–specific mortality. We modeled cumulative duration of past metformin use as a time-varying exposure.

RESULTS

Of 2,361 breast cancer patients identified, mean (± SD) age at cancer diagnosis was 77.4 ± 6.3 years, and mean follow-up was 4.5 ± 3.0 years. There were 1,101 deaths(46.6%), among which 386 (16.3%) were breast cancer–specific deaths. No significant association was found between cumulative duration of past metformin use and all-cause mortality (adjusted hazard ratio 0.97 [95% CI 0.92–1.02]) or breast cancer–specific mortality (0.91 [0.81–1.03]) per additional year of cumulative use.

CONCLUSIONS

Our findings failed to show an association between improved survival and increased cumulative metformin duration in older breast cancer patients who had recent-onset diabetes. Further research is needed to clarify this association, accounting for effects of cancer stage and BMI in younger populations or those with differing stages of diabetes as well as in nondiabetic populations.
Numerical solution of fractional differential equations via a Volterra integral equation approach
Authors: Esmaeili Shahrokh , Shamsi Mostafa , Dehghan Mehdi
Published: May 2013

The main focus of this paper is to present a numerical method for the solution of fractional differential equations. In this method, the properties of the Caputo derivative are used to reduce the given fractional differential equation into a Volterra integral equation. The entire domain is divided into several small domains, and by collocating the integral equation at two adjacent points a system of two algebraic equations in two unknowns is obtained. The method is applied to solve linear and nonlinear fractional differential equations. Also the error analysis is presented. Some examples are given and the numerical simulations are also provided to illustrate the effectiveness of the new method.
Model-based sensitivity analysis of a fluidised-bed bioreactor for mercury uptake by immobilised Pseudomonas putida cells
Authors: Maria Gheorghe , Luta Ionela , Maria Cristina
Published: May 2013

A model-based sensitivity analysis was performed in order to evaluate the importance of the individual operating parameters of a three-phase fluidised-bed biological reactor used for removing mercury ions from wastewater. The parameters analysed involve the immobilised biomass load (bacteria P. putida) on alginate beads, particle size, inlet flow-rate, mercury ion loads in the fed wastewater, and the solid fraction in the reactor. Predictions were generated by using pseudo-first-order, Michaelis-Menten, or pseudo-Haldane kinetic models. The results highlight the major influence of the biomass/solid load and of the liquid residence time on the reactor efficiency. Also, the resultant significant differences in the model predictions underline the importance of using a more accurate kinetic model for process design and control purposes.
Active Choice of Teachers, Learning Strategies and Goals for a Socially Guided Intrinsic Motivation Learner
Authors: Nguyen Sao Mai , Oudeyer Pierre-Yves
Published: May 2013

We present an active learning architecture that allows a robot to actively learn which data collection strategy is most efficient for acquiring motor skills to achieve multiple outcomes, and generalise over its experience to achieve new outcomes. The robot explores its environment both via interactive learning and goal-babbling. It learns at the same time when, who and what to actively imitate from several available teachers, and learns when not to use social guidance but use active goal-oriented self-exploration. This is formalised in the framework of life-long strategic learning.

The proposed architecture, called Socially Guided Intrinsic Motivation with Active Choice of Teacher and Strategy (SGIM-ACTS), relies on hierarchical active decisions of what and how to learn driven by empirical evaluation of learning progress for each learning strategy. We illustrate with an experiment where a simulated robot learns to control its arm for realising two kinds of different outcomes. It has to choose actively and hierarchically at each learning episode: 1) what to learn: which outcome is most interesting to select as a goal to focus on for goal-directed exploration; 2) how to learn: which data collection strategy to use among self-exploration, mimicry and emulation; 3) once he has decided when and what to imitate by choosing mimicry or emulation, then he has to choose who to imitate, from a set of different teachers. We show that SGIM-ACTS learns significantly more efficiently than using single learning strategies, and coherently selects the best strategy with respect to the chosen outcome, taking advantage of the available teachers (with different levels of skills).
Comminuted Fractures of the Femoral Neck and Scaphoid
Authors: Fortenberry Andrew D.
Published: May 2013

The patient was a 48-year-old man serving in a deployed combat setting, who was referred to a physical therapist for evaluation of progressively worsening left hip and left wrist pain. Due to concern for hip and wrist fractures, the physical therapist ordered radiographs of the left hip and left wrist. The radiographs revealed comminuted fractures of the midneck to distal neck of the left femur and left scaphoid.

J Orthop Sports Phys Ther 2013;43(5):350. doi:10.2519/jospt.2013.0409
The Role of US Military Physical Therapists During Recent Combat Campaigns
Authors: Moore Josef H. , Goffar Stephen L. , Teyhen Deydre S. , Pendergrass Timothy L. , Childs John D. , Ficke James R.
Published: May 2013

US military physical therapists have a proud history of providing medical care during operational deployments ranging from war to complex humanitarian emergencies. Regardless of austerity of environment or intensity of hostility, US military physical therapists serve as autonomous providers, evaluating and treating service members with and without physician referral. This perspective article suggests that the versatility of US military physical therapist practice enables them not only to diagnose musculoskeletal injuries but also to provide a wide range of definitive care and rehabilitation, reducing the need for costly evacuation. War is not sport, but the delivery of skilled musculoskeletal physical therapy services as close to the point of injury as possible parallels the sports medicine model for on- or near-field practice. This model that mixes direct access with near-immediate access enhances outcomes, reduces costs, and allows other health care team members to work at the highest levels of their licensure.
Quality in Physical Therapist Clinical Education: A Systematic Review
Authors: McCallum Christine A. , Mosher Peter D. , Jacobson Peri J. , Gallivan Sean P. , Giuffre Suzanne M.
Published: May 2013

Background

Many factors affect student learning throughout the clinical education (CE) component of professional (entry-level) physical therapist education curricula. Physical therapist education programs (PTEPs) manage CE, yet the material and human resources required to provide CE are generally overseen by community-based physical therapist practices.

Purpose

The purposes of this systematic review were: (1) to examine how the construct of quality is defined in CE literature and (2) to determine the methodological rigor of the available evidence on quality in physical therapist CE.

Methods

This study was a systematic review of English-language journals using the American Physical Therapy Association’s Open Door Portal to Evidence-Based Practice as the computer search engine. The search was categorized using terms for physical therapy and quality and for CE pedagogy and models or roles. Summary findings were characterized by 5 primary themes and 14 subthemes using a qualitative-directed content analysis.

Results

Fifty-four articles were included in the study. The primary quality themes were: CE framework, CE sites, structure of CE, assessment in CE, and CE faculty. The methodological rigor of the studies was critically appraised using a binary system based on the McMaster appraisal tools. Scores ranged from 3 to 14.

Limitations

Publication bias and outcome reporting bias may be inherent limitations to the results.

Conclusion

The review found inconclusive evidence about what constitutes quality or best practice for physical therapist CE. Five key constructs of CE were identified that, when aggregated, could construe quality.
The Aesthetics of Refusal: Pinter among the Radicals
Authors: Begley Varun
Published: May 2013

As the modernity of modem drama recedes, historiography plays an increasingly central role in the discipline. The lexicon of postfeminism, postcolonialism, and postmodernism suggests that the ideological sands have shifted. The "modem condition" is no longer self-evident; the old structures of feeling, to borrow Raymond Williams's phrase, are no longer felt in the same way. The political contexts of modern drama are especially prone to erasure. Links between artistic practice and social commitment in many ways define the modern theatre, yet radical works often survive as purely aesthetic artifacts. Poised near the endpoint of the modern canon, Harold Pinter's career provides an exemplary nexus for dramatic historiography. Aesthetically, his works span modem and postmodern modes of cultural production. On the one hand, Pinter is arguably the last of the modern dramatists — a late practitioner of literary absurdism, in Martin Esslin's influential account. At the same time, Pinter has actively written for television and film, depreciating his literary status while immersing himself in commercial culture.
Delayed germinal matrix hemorrhage induced by ventriculoperitoneal shunt insertion for congenital hydrocephalus
Authors: Okazaki Mihoko , Fukuhara Toru , Namba Yoichiro
Published: May 2013

Germinal matrix hemorrhages (GMHs) are typically seen in preterm neonates during the first 4 days of life. The authors encountered 2 children with late-onset GMH subsequent to ventriculoperitoneal (VP) shunt insertion for congenital hydrocephalus. Both children were delivered at full term with normal body weight, although they were compromised with the preceding hypoxic events prior to shunt insertion. The first case involved a female infant with severe craniofacial deformities. Because of aspiration pneumonia related to the comorbid upper airway stenosis, endotracheal intubation with intermittent mechanical ventilation was necessary. The associated congenital hydrocephalus was treated with VP shunt insertion when she was 35 days of age, and GMH was confirmed 1 week after shunt placement. During a period of conservative observation, the hemorrhage resolved without any neurological deterioration. The second case involved a male infant with a large intraparenchymal cyst on the left parietal portion. He was intubated for pneumonia at 1 month of age. He had associated congenital hydrocephalus that was progressive, and he was treated with VP shunting at 69 days of age, after his pneumonia had resolved. Postoperative GMH was confirmed, although hydrocephalus was well controlled by VP shunt insertion. Observed conservatively, he fared well and the GMH resolved. These 2 cases had unique features in common; both had congenital anomalies in the CNS and respiratory problems before shunting. The hypoxic insults on the residual germinal matrix layer and sudden decrease in CSF pressure may relate to the occurrence of these late-onset GMHs.
Anatomical study of superior cluneal nerve entrapment
Authors: Kuniya Hiroshi , Aota Yoichi , Saito Tomoyuki , Kamiya Yoshinori , Funakoshi Kengo , Terayama Hayato , Itoh Masahiro
Published: May 2013

Object

Entrapment of the superior cluneal nerve (SCN) in an osteofibrous tunnel in the space surrounded by the iliac crest and the thoracolumbar fascia is a cause of low-back pain (LBP). Several anatomical and surgical reports describe SCN entrapment as a cause of LBP, and a recent clinical study reported that patients with suspected SCN disorder constitute approximately 10% of the patients suffering from LBP and/or leg symptoms. However, a detailed anatomical study of SCN entrapment is rare. The purpose of this study was to investigate the courses of SCN branches and to ascertain the frequency of SCN entrapment.

Methods

Branches of the SCN were dissected in 109 usable specimens (54 on the right side and 55 on the left side) obtained in 59 formalin-preserved cadavers (average age at death 84.8 years old). All branches were exposed at the points where they perforated the thoracolumbar fascia. The presence or absence of an osteofibrous tunnel was ascertained and, if present, the entrapment of the branches in the tunnel was determined.

Results

Of 109 specimens, 61 (56%) had at least 1 branch running through an osteofibrous tunnel. Forty-two medial (39%), 30 intermediate (28%), and 14 lateral (13%) SCN branches passed through such a tunnel. Of these, only 2 medial branches had obvious entrapment in an osteofibrous tunnel. There were several patterns for the SCN course through the tunnel: medial branch only (n = 25), intermediate branch only (n = 11), lateral branch only (n = 4), medial and intermediate branches (n = 11), medial and lateral branches (n = 2), intermediate and lateral branches (n = 4), and all branches (n = 4).

Conclusions

Several anatomical variations of the running patterns of SCN branches were detected. Entrapment was seen only in the medial branches. Although obvious entrapment of the SCN is rare, it may cause LBP.
Neurological deficit due to cement extravasation following a vertebral augmentation procedure
Authors: Sidhu Gursukhman S. , Kepler Christopher K. , Savage Katherine E. , Eachus Benjamin , Albert Todd J. , Vaccaro Alexander R.
Published: May 2013

The authors endeavor to highlight the surgical management of severe neurological deficit resulting from cement leakage after percutaneous vertebroplasty and to systematically review the literature on the management of this complication.

A patient presented after a vertebroplasty procedure for traumatic injury. A CT scan showed polymethylmethacrylate leakage into the right foramina at T-11 and L-1 and associated central stenosis at L-1. He underwent decompression and fusion for removal of cement and stabilization of the fracture segment. In the authors' systematic review, they searched Medline, Scopus, and Cochrane databases to determine the overall number of reported cases of neurological deficit after cement leakage, and they collected data on symptom onset, clinical presentation, surgical management, and outcome.

After surgery, despite neurological recovery postoperatively, the patient developed pneumonia and died 16 days after surgery. The literature review showed 21 cases of cement extravasation with neurological deficit. Ultimately, 15 patients had resolution of the postoperative deficit, 5 had limited change in neurological status, and 2 had no improvement.

Cement augmentation procedures are relatively safe, but certain precautions should be taken to avoid such complications including high-resolution biplanar fluoroscopy, considering the use of a local anesthetic, and controlling the location of cement spread in relationship to the posterior vertebral body. Immediate surgical intervention with removal of cement provides good results with complete recovery in most cases.
Comparative study of complications of comprehensive neck dissection in primary neck and irradiated neck
Authors: Uddin Md Mosleh , Siddiquee Belayat Hossain , Rajib Syed Farhan Ali , Salam Kazi Shameemus
Published: May 2013

Due to close relationship of vital structures in the neck, certain complications are inherent to neck dissection (ND) for the treatment of patients with metastatic neck disease of squamous cell carcinoma. Aim: To compare the incidence of complications of Comprehensive ND done in primary neck and in irradiated neck. Methods: A cross sectional study of 267 patients with metastatic squamous cell carcinoma in the neck, with or without primary tumor, under gone ND with a curative intension, was made from January 2007 to December 2011 (five years). It was done to identify perioperative complications and to compare them in NDs done in primary neck and in irradiated neck. Result: Total 267 patients with unilateral Comprehensive ND, with or without en-block of the primary tumor, were studied. There was no death. The most frequent complication was marginal mandibular nerve injury (4.05% in primary neck and 8.51% in irradiated neck) followed by intra operative hemorrhage (1.16% in primary neck and 3.19% in irradiated neck). Conclusion: There were no perioperative death in either category; nerves were the most commonly injured structures. Complications were higher in neck dissection in irradiated neck than in primary neck dissection.DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.3329/bjo.v19i1.14857 Bangladesh J Otorhinolaryngol 2013; 19(1): 5-10
Prognostic factors influencing anatomical and functional outcome of Myringoplasty
Authors: Alam KM Nurul , Ali Mohammad Idrish , Huq Md Mahmudul , Hanif Md Abu
Published: May 2013

Objective: To assess the rate of healing of tympanic membrane, hearing status before and after operation and determine the factors influencing surgical outcome. Methods: This cross-sectional study was done in the department of Otolaryngology & Head- Neck Surgery of SSMC & Mitford Hospital, Dhaka, during the period of January, 2008 to December, 2009. A total of 60 patients was underwent myringoplasty operation and taken detailed history, clinical findings and post operative assessment. Analyzed data presented by various tables, graphs and figures. Results: The study included 60 patients of myringoplasty operation. Age of the patient was between 15-45 years. Out of 60 patients male was 60% and female was 40%. Highest number of patients was in the age group of 15-25 years. Conclusion: Hearing improvement after myringoplasty in anatomically successful cases improve quality of life of the patient. DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.3329/bjo.v19i1.14858 Bangladesh J Otorhinolaryngol 2013; 19(1): 18-23
Otitis media with effusion in Southwestern Region of Saudi Arabia
Authors: Al-Shehri Ali Maeed S , Neklawi Fach Arzt Ahmad , Shati Ayed A , Alsuheel Ali M , Al-Qahtani Saleh M , Rafique Muhammad
Published: May 2013

Aim of Study: To determine effectiveness of myringotomy and grommet insertion (MGI) for patients with otitis media with effusion (OME), who failed medical treatment. Methods: A retrospective study was done on 86 patients who underwent MGI for OME between 2005 to 2010. Result: Age of patients ranged from 1 to 12 years, most of them (72%) were less than 6 years old. In children with OME, hearing and academic performance improved after grommet insertion. Conclusion: OME is mainly a disease of preschool age. The leading presenting complaint is hearing loss. MGI is important to be done if medical treatment failed. Hearing threshold improves significantly postoperatively. DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.3329/bjo.v19i1.14861 Bangladesh J Otorhinolaryngol 2013; 19(1): 36-40
Pattern of Nodal Metastases in Papillary Thyroid Carcinoma
Authors: Patuary Md Khabir Uddin , Sarker Md Zakaria , Islam Robiul , Islam Md Zahidul , Siddiquee Belayat Hossain
Published: May 2013

Objective: The objective of this study is to determine the pattern of nodal metastases of papillary thyroid carcinoma to regional lymph in patients who have clinically positive nodes. Study design: Cross sectional study. Methods: Between January 2008 and December 2009, a total of 50 consecutive patients (15 male and 35 female) with clinical evidence of cervical lymph node metastases of papillary thyroid carcinoma was analyzed. Patients those with previous neck dissection for non thyroid malignancies and those neck node with follicular and medullary thyroid carcinoma were excluded from the study. Results: The predominant site of metastases was level III (82%), followed by level IV (62%), level II (48%), level VI (18%) and level V (16%). So, patients in the anterolateral group (level II, III and IV) were the greatest risk of metastatic disease, with level III nodes consistently the most frequently involved. No patient exhibited in level I involvement, multiple level involvement was found in 74% (37 of 50) patients. Conclusion: The high incidence of metastatic disease found in level III and IV. The level V and VI involvement were also reasonably high. Which supports the recommendation for posterolateral and anterior neck dissection for patients with papillary thyroid carcinoma with clinically positive nodes. DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.3329/bjo.v19i1.14862 Bangladesh J Otorhinolaryngol 2013; 19(1): 46-52
Acute and Subacute Toxicity Study of Methanolic Extract of ceiba pentandra (Linn.) Gaertn. on Rats
Authors: Gandhare B. , Kavimani S. , Rajkapoor B.
Published: May 2013

The purpose of toxicity testing is to provide adequate database to make decisions concerning the toxicology properties of chemical and commercial products. In some situations, the purpose is to decide whether a material will be safe. Under the conditions of expected use in other situations, the objective is to establish the safe limits in condition of use. The methanolic extract of ceiba pentandra was evaluated for acute and subacute toxicity in adult Wistar rats. For the study of acute toxicity, the methanol extract of roots of C. pentandra (MCP) was given separately in various doses (50, 500, 1000, 2000 mg/kg) by oral route. The results showed no signs of toxicity such as general behavior change, mortality, or change in gross appearance of internal organs. Subacute toxicity was studied by daily oral doses 100, 400 and 750 mg/kg (low dose, intermediate dose and high dose) orally for 28 days. The results showed no abnormalities in treated groups as compared to the controls. Although significantly different, all of the values were within normal limits. Neither gross abnormalities nor histopathological changes were observed.Keywords: Acute toxicity; Subacute toxicity; ceiba pentandra.© 2013 JSR Publications. ISSN: 2070-0237 (Print); 2070-0245 (Online). All rights reserved.doi: http://dx.doi.org/10.3329/jsr.v5i2.11800        J. Sci. Res. 5 (2), 315-324 (2013)
A Comparative Performance Study of Plasmon-induced Charge Separation of Au@TiO2, Au@Fe2O3, and Au@ZnO Photocell Thin-films
Authors: Abdulla-Al-Mamun M. , Kusumoto Y. , Islam G. J.
Published: May 2013

The gold colloidal nanoparticles was prepared by citrate reduction from chloroauric acid (HAuCl4·4H2O). An ITO glass was coated with nanoporous TiO2, Fe2O3 and ZnO by squeegee method. The squeezing coated films were loaded with Au-nanoparticles by depositing technique. The film was characterized by UV-visible transmittance absorption spectroscopy, SEM, XRD, XPS, and EDX techniques. The Pt counter electrode was prepared by a magnetron sputter method on an ITO glass. The semiconductor with Au-loaded film was used as a working electrode whereas Pt film was used as a counter electrode in a solar cell. The charge was separated by short circuit current and an open circuit voltage and the cell efficiency was measured by IPCE analyzer. The comparative photocurrent-performance of different semiconductors loaded with Au-nanoparticles was analysed. Au@TiO2, Au@Fe2O3, Au@ZnO were found to be suitable films for photo-current production having a good efficiency with Au@TiO2 as the best of the three.© 2013 JSR Publications. ISSN: 2070-0237 (Print); 2070-0245 (Online). All rights reserved.doi: http://dx.doi.org/10.3329/jsr.v5i2.13391 J. Sci. Res. 5 (2), 245-254 (2013)
Commutativity in Prime Gamma Near-Rings with Permuting Tri-derivations
Authors: Dey K. K. , Paul A. C.
Published: May 2013

The object of this paper is to introduce a permuting tri-derivation in a G-near-ring. We obtain the conditions for a prime G-near-ring to be a commutative G-ring.Keywords: Gamma-near-ring; Prime Gamma-near-ring; Commutative Gamma-ring; Permuting tri-derivation.© 2013 JSR Publications. ISSN: 2070-0237 (Print); 2070-0245 (Online). All rights reserved.doi: http://dx.doi.org/10.3329/jsr.v5i2.13478        J. Sci. Res. 5 (2), 275-281 (2013)
Variation in Protein Content and Amino Acids in the Leaves of Grain, Vegetable and Weedy Types of Amaranths
Authors: Andini Rita , Yoshida Shigeki , Ohsawa Ryo
Published: May 2013

Malnutrition has affected almost 31% of pre-school children. This paper provides the information of nutritional values (leaf protein, 15 amino acids, biomass and leaf dry matter) of grain, vegetable and weedy types of amaranths (n = 76 accessions); particularly those novel materials originated from the highland areas of Sumatra-Takengon. The highest values of leaf protein and total amino acids were found in many weedy species (A. viridis, A. blitum L. and A. dubius). The ranges of leaf protein and total amino acids in most of weedy types were 12–29 g 100 g−1 DM and 84–93 g 100 g−1 DW protein, respectively. The leaves of amaranths were found to be a good source for lysine which is the limiting essential amino acids in most of cereal plants. Their values were in the range of 6 g 100 g−1 DW protein which are close to that of good protein quality according to FAO/WHO’s standard. The leaves of underutilized weedy species of A. dubius, A. blitum, A. viridis and the dual purpose types of A. caudatus L., A. cruentus L. deserve to be further exploited as a low cost solution for solving malnutrition problems, especially in Indonesia.
Changes in Oscillatory Brain Networks after Lexical Tone Training
Authors: Kaan Edith , Wayland Ratree , Keil Andreas
Published: May 2013

Learning foreign speech contrasts involves creating new representations of sound categories in memory. This formation of new memory representations is likely to involve changes in neural networks as reflected by oscillatory brain activity. To explore this, we conducted time-frequency analyses of electro-encephalography (EEG) data recorded in a passive auditory oddball paradigm using Thai language tones. We compared native speakers of English (a non-tone language) and native speakers of Mandarin Chinese (a tone language), before and after a two-day laboratory training. Native English speakers showed a larger gamma-band power and stronger alpha-band synchrony across EEG channels than the native Chinese speakers, especially after training. This is compatible with the view that forming new speech categories on the basis of unfamiliar perceptual dimensions involves stronger gamma activity and more coherent activity in alpha-band networks than forming new categories on the basis of familiar dimensions.
Metabolomic Dynamic Analysis of Hypoxia in MDA-MB-231 and the Comparison with Inferred Metabolites from Transcriptomics Data
Authors: Tsai I-Lin , Kuo Tien-Chueh , Ho Tsung-Jung , Harn Yeu-Chern , Wang San-Yuan , Fu Wen-Mei , Kuo Ching-Hua , Tseng Yufeng
Published: May 2013

Hypoxia affects the tumor microenvironment and is considered important to metastasis progression and therapy resistance. Thus far, the majority of global analyses of tumor hypoxia responses have been limited to just a single omics level. Combining multiple omics data can broaden our understanding of tumor hypoxia. Here, we investigate the temporal change of the metabolite composition with gene expression data from literature to provide a more comprehensive insight into the system level in response to hypoxia. Nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy was used to perform metabolomic profiling on the MDA-MB-231 breast cancer cell line under hypoxic conditions. Multivariate statistical analysis revealed that the metabolic difference between hypoxia and normoxia was similar over 24 h, but became distinct over 48 h. Time dependent microarray data from the same cell line in the literature displayed different gene expressions under hypoxic and normoxic conditions mostly at 12 h or earlier. The direct metabolomic profiles show a large overlap with theoretical metabolic profiles deduced from previous transcriptomic studies. Consistent pathways are glycolysis/gluconeogenesis, pyruvate, purine and arginine and proline metabolism. Ten metabolic pathways revealed by metabolomics were not covered by the downstream of the known transcriptomic profiles, suggesting new metabolic phenotypes. These results confirm previous transcriptomics understanding and expand the knowledge from existing models on correlation and co-regulation between transcriptomic and metabolomics profiles, which demonstrates the power of integrated omics analysis.
Kernel Spectral Clustering for Big Data Networks
Authors: Mall Raghvendra , Langone Rocco , Suykens Johan
Published: May 2013

This paper shows the feasibility of utilizing the Kernel Spectral Clustering (KSC) method for the purpose of community detection in big data networks. KSC employs a primal-dual framework to construct a model. It results in a powerful property of effectively inferring the community affiliation for out-of-sample extensions. The original large kernel matrix cannot fitinto memory. Therefore, we select a smaller subgraph that preserves the overall community structure to construct the model. It makes use of the out-of-sample extension property for community membership of the unseen nodes. We provide a novel memory- and computationally efficient model selection procedure based on angular similarity in the eigenspace. We demonstrate the effectiveness of KSC on large scale synthetic networks and real world networks like the YouTube network, a road network of California and the Livejournal network. These networks contain millions of nodes and several million edges.
The Hispanic Paradox and Older Adults’ Disabilities: Is There a Healthy Migrant Effect?
Authors: Thomson Esme , Nuru-Jeter Amani , Richardson Dawn , Raza Ferrah , Minkler Meredith
Published: May 2013

The “Hispanic Paradox” suggests that despite rates of poverty similar to African Americans, Hispanics have far better health and mortality outcomes, more comparable to non-Hispanic White Americans. Three prominent possible explanations for the Hispanic Paradox have emerged. The “Healthy Migrant Effect” suggests a health selection effect due to the demands of migration. The Hispanic lifestyle hypothesis focuses on Hispanics’ strong social ties and better health behaviors. The reverse migration argument suggests that the morbidity profile in the USA is affected when many Hispanic immigrants return to their native countries after developing a serious illness. We analyzed data from respondents aged 55 and over from the nationally representative 2006 American Community Survey including Mexican Americans (13,167 U.S. born; 11,378 immigrants), Cuban Americans (314 U.S. born; 3,730 immigrants), and non-Hispanic White Americans (629,341 U.S. born; 31,164 immigrants). The healthy migrant effect was supported with SES-adjusted disability comparable between Mexican, Cuban and non-Hispanic Whites born in the USA and all immigrants having lower adjusted odds of functional limitations than U.S. born non-Hispanic Whites. The reverse migration hypothesis was partially supported, with citizenship and longer duration in the USA associated with higher rates of SES-adjusted disability for Mexican Americans. The Hispanic healthy life-style explanation had little support in this study. Our findings underline the importance of considering nativity when planning for health interventions to address the needs of the growing Hispanic American older adult population.
Correction: Wiedmann, M., et al. Exploration of the Role of the Non-Coding RNA SbrE in L. monocytogenes Stress Response. Int. J. Mol. Sci. 2013, 14, 378-393
Authors: Mujahid Sana , Bergholz Teresa , Oliver Haley , Boor Kathryn , Wiedmann Martin
Published: May 2013

The original version of the paper in Section 3.8 reports that “The peptide mass tolerance and fragment mass tolerance values were 10 ppm and 30 mDa, respectively” [1] (p. 387). To help others who may want to use the same methods in the future, the authors would like to correct the wording to: “The peptide mass tolerance and fragment mass tolerance values were 30 ppm and 0.15 Da, respectively. In order to decrease the probability of false peptide identification, only peptides with significance scores above the identity threshold (at the 95% confidence interval), defined by Mascot probability analysis (www.matrixscience.com/help/scoring_help.html#PBM), were considered to be confidently identified and used for protein identification. Furthermore, only proteins identified in all four iTRAQ samples through at least two peptides with a p-value of <0.05 (expectation value) were further analyzed”. The authors would like to apologize for any inconvenience this may have caused to the readers of this journal. [...]
SAR Images Statistical Modeling and Classification Based on the Mixture of Alpha-Stable Distributions
Authors: Peng Yijin , Chen Jiayu , Xu Xin , Pu Fangling
Published: May 2013

This paper proposes the mixture of Alpha-stable (MAS) distributions for modeling statistical property of Synthetic Aperture Radar (SAR) images in a supervised Markovian classification algorithm. Our work is motivated by the fact that natural scenes consist of various reflectors with different types that are typically concentrated within a small area, and SAR images generally exhibit sharp peaks, heavy tails, and even multimodal statistical property, especially at high resolution. Unimodal distributions do not fit such statistical property well, and thus a multimodal approach is necessary. Driven by the multimodality and impulsiveness of high resolution SAR images histogram, we utilize the mixture of Alpha-stable distributions to describe such characteristics. A pseudo-simulated annealing (PSA) estimator based on Markov chain Monte Carlo (MCMC) is present to efficiently estimate model parameters of the mixture of Alpha-stable distributions. To validate the proposed PSA estimator, we apply it to simulated data and compare its performance to that of a state-of-the-art estimator. Finally, we exploit the MAS distributions and a Markovian context for SAR images classification. The effectiveness of the proposed classifier is demonstrated by experiments on TerraSAR-X images, which verifies the validity of the MAS distributions for modeling and classification of SAR images.
A High-Throughput Antibody-Based Microarray Typing Platform
Authors: Gehring Andrew , Barnett Charles , Chu Ted , DebRoy Chitrita , D'Souza Doris , Eaker Shannon , Fratamico Pina , Gillespie Barbara , Hegde Narasimha , Jones Kevin , Lin Jun , Oliver Stephen , Paoli George , Perera Ashan , Uknalis Joseph
Published: May 2013

Many rapid methods have been developed for screening foods for the presence of pathogenic microorganisms. Rapid methods that have the additional ability to identify microorganisms via multiplexed immunological recognition have the potential for classification or typing of microbial contaminants thus facilitating epidemiological investigations that aim to identify outbreaks and trace back the contamination to its source. This manuscript introduces a novel, high throughput typing platform that employs microarrayed multiwell plate substrates and laser-induced fluorescence of the nucleic acid intercalating dye/stain SYBR Gold for detection of antibody-captured bacteria. The aim of this study was to use this platform for comparison of different sets of antibodies raised against the same pathogens as well as demonstrate its potential effectiveness for serotyping. To that end, two sets of antibodies raised against each of the “Big Six” non-O157 Shiga toxin-producing E. coli (STEC) as well as E. coli O157:H7 were array-printed into microtiter plates, and serial dilutions of the bacteria were added and subsequently detected. Though antibody specificity was not sufficient for the development of an STEC serotyping method, the STEC antibody sets performed reasonably well exhibiting that specificity increased at lower capture antibody concentrations or, conversely, at lower bacterial target concentrations. The favorable results indicated that with sufficiently selective and ideally concentrated sets of biorecognition elements (e.g., antibodies or aptamers), this high-throughput platform can be used to rapidly type microbial isolates derived from food samples within ca. 80 min of total assay time. It can also potentially be used to detect the pathogens from food enrichments and at least serve as a platform for testing antibodies.
A Split-Path Schema-Based RFID Data Storage Model in Supply Chain Management
Authors: Fan Hua , Wu Quanyuan , Lin Yisong , Zhang Jianfeng
Published: May 2013

In modern supply chain management systems, Radio Frequency IDentification (RFID) technology has become an indispensable sensor technology and massive RFID data sets are expected to become commonplace. More and more space and time are needed to store and process such huge amounts of RFID data, and there is an increasing realization that the existing approaches cannot satisfy the requirements of RFID data management. In this paper, we present a split-path schema-based RFID data storage model. With a data separation mechanism, the massive RFID data produced in supply chain management systems can be stored and processed more efficiently. Then a tree structure-based path splitting approach is proposed to intelligently and automatically split the movement paths of products . Furthermore, based on the proposed new storage model, we design the relational schema to store the path information and time information of tags, and some typical query templates and SQL statements are defined. Finally, we conduct various experiments to measure the effect and performance of our model and demonstrate that it performs significantly better than the baseline approach in both the data expression and path-oriented RFID data query performance.
Politisation et vote des jeunes
Authors: Bréchon Pierre
Published: May 2013

This article sets out to prove, using several «Eurobarometer» surveys since 1973, for France and for Europe, that present day youth is anything but depoliticized. Today’s youth is just as concerned with politics as preceeding generations. Young people have always been slighly less politically aware and active than adults because of progressive socialisation. The vote of young people, recognizable in electoral polls, bears no natural characteristics. Although, they often vote more to the left than other age ranges, this can easily be explained by the characteristics of their sociology and with relation to a political history. In the 1995, Presidential elections, the vote of young people was, in contrast, more favorable to the right than that of adults. But their electoral inclinations are nevertheless partially affected by their social, cultural and religious considerations.
Les jeunes en errance
Authors: Chobeaux François
Published: May 2013

Several thousand young adults are permanently on the move at present in France. They claim to be the voluntary actors of a life style which they have willingly adopted. They assemble in large numbers for music or drama festivals, and such gatherings pose problems of hospitality and of policing in the festival towns. An action-survey has been conducted for several years on these young people. It is structured round approaches based on an understanding of this public (ethnology, sociology, psychology health) and grass roots actions aiming at experimenting and developing temporary forms of hospitality during the festivals. It will also suggest procedures in prevention work and social inclusion adapted to the public.
Jules Vallès et les droits de l'Enfant
Authors: Bellet Roger
Published: May 2013

Jules Vallès (1832-1885) originally from Haute-Loire, came to Paris to study and write and produced, after several attempts at stones prior to 1870, his most well- known book, The Child (L'Enfant) 1879, during his London exile ; it depicts a typical childhood, his own, which he considered unhappy but not cruel. He brought out this book in defense and as an illustration of «Childrens' Rights», to be declared after Human Rights. But he continued, as previously, to differentiate between unhappy children, physically or morally, and the misery of child martyrs, sometimes beaten to death by their parents ; this was his lifelong battle both as a journalist and a novelist.
Festivités et turbulences dans les banlieues
Authors: Khosrokhavar Farhad
Published: May 2013

Fetes in the suburbs can usually be reduced to two main types, on the one hand, those that strengthen local or family ties and invigorate community awareness amongst the inhabitants of disaffected neighbourhoods, such as the Ramadan celebrated by Moslems, on the other, those which break the passivity, the apathy, the boredom of excluded young people and engender, in the euphoria of the transgression of social norms, the feeling of creating a sense, especially amongst those who consider that they have no future in society. On the hunt for big thrills, they get a kick out of stolen and burned-out cars, confrontation with the laws, clashes with the police and railway staff, even the fire brigade, seen as a combination of enjoyment and social reverge.