bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
The significance of Notch ligand expression in the peripheral blood of children with hand, foot and mouth disease (HFMD)
Authors: Bai Zhen Jiang , Li Yi Ping , Huang Jie , Xiang Yong Jun , Lu Chun Yu , Kong Xiao Xing , Tian Jian Mei , Wang Jiang Huai , Wang Jian
Published: June 2014

Background

Hand, foot and mouth disease (HFMD), a virus-induced infectious disease that usually affects infants and children, has an increased incidence in China in recent years. This study attempted to investigate the role of the Notch signaling pathway in the pathogenesis of HFMD.

Methods

Eighty-two children diagnosed with HFMD were enrolled into this study. The HFMD group was further divided into the uncomplicated HFMD and HFMD with encephalitis groups. The control group included 40 children who underwent elective surgery for treatment of inguinal hernias.

Results

Children with HFMD displayed significantly reduced CD3+, CD3+CD4+ and CD3+CD8+ cell subsets, but substantially enhanced CD3−CD19+ cell subset (p < 0.05 versus control subjects). The expression levels of Notch ligands Dll1 and Dll4 in the peripheral blood of the HFMD group were significantly higher than those in the control group (p < 0.05). There were statistically significant differences in CD3+, CD3+CD4+ and CD3−CD19+ cell subsets, but not in Notch ligand expression, between the uncomplicated HFMD and HFMD with encephalitis groups. Dll4 expression in HFMD subjects correlated negatively with the CD3+ and CD3+CD8+ cell subsets (p < 0.05), but positively with the CD3−CD19+ cell subset (p < 0.05). Furthermore, Dll4 expression in HFMD with encephalitis subjects correlated positively with total white blood cell (WBC) counts and total protein contents in cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) (p < 0.05).

Conclusions

The Notch ligand Dll4 exhibits a strong correlation with the CD3+, CD3+CD8+ and CD3−CD19+ cell subsets in children with HFMD, indicating that the Notch signaling may be involved in the development of HFMD by affecting the number and status of peripheral lymphocytes.
MRI segmentation analysis in temporal lobe and idiopathic generalized epilepsy
Authors: Goldberg Hila , Weinstock Arie , Bergsland Niels , Dwyer Michael G , Farooq Osman , Sazgar Mona , Poloni Guy , Treu Cierra , Weinstock-Guttman Bianca , Ramanathan Murali , Zivadinov Robert
Published: June 2014

Background

Temporal lobe epilepsy (TLE) and idiopathic generalized epilepsy (IGE) patients have each been associated with extensive brain atrophy findings, yet to date there are no reports of head to head comparison of both patient groups. Our aim was to assess and compare between tissue-specific and structural brain atrophy findings in TLE to IGE patients and to healthy controls (HC).

Methods

TLE patients were classified in TLE lesional (L-TLE) or non-lesional (NL-TLE) based on presence or absence of MRI temporal structural abnormalities. High resolution 3 T MRI with automated segmentation by SIENAX and FIRST tools were performed in a group of patients with temporal lobe epilepsy (11 L-TLE and 15 NL-TLE) and in15 IGE as well as in 26 HC. Normal brain volume (NBV), normal grey matter volume (NGMV), normal white matter volume (NWMV), and volumes of subcortical deep grey matter structures were quantified. Using regression analyses, differences between the groups in both volume and left/right asymmetry were evaluated. Additionally, laterality of results was also evaluated to separately quantify ipsilateral and contralateral effects in the TLE group.

Results

All epilepsy groups had significantly lower NBV and NWMV compared to HC (p < 0.001). L-TLE had lower hippocampal volume than HC and IGE (p = 0.001), and all epilepsy groups had significantly lower amygdala volume than HC (p < = 0.004). In L-TLE, there was evidence of atrophy in both ipsilateral and contralateral structures.

Conclusions

Our study revealed that TLE and IGE patients demonstrated similar overall tissue-specific brain atrophy, although specific structures differences were appreciated. L-TLE also appeared to behave differently than NL-TLE, with atrophy not limited to the ipsilateral side.
Doll therapy: therapeutic or childish and inappropriate?
Authors: Heathcote Julie , Clare Moira
Published: June 2014

Encouraging multiple stimulating experiences can help meet the attachment, comfort and occupation needs of people with dementia. Julie Heathcote and Moira Clare discuss the controversial use of doll therapy with examples from a care home in the UK
The Performance: A Reading at PW12 (Winter 2012)
Authors: Jaeger Peter
Published: June 2014

This short text takes the form of a series of modular units focussing on performance readings at PW12, held at the Arnolfini gallery during the winter of 2012. The text consists of parodic aphorisms interspersed with direct quotations taken from the performance. This unusual configuration defamiliarizes the standard research essay format, and brings the readings in question into a more dialogic relation with the critical components of the aphorisms. There is also a tendency here towards the performative inscription of theory. To this end, the article offers a burlesque of critical prose which is sympathetic to the indeterminate poetics of the performances, as well as to the pluralistic character of the event.
Singing about the death of Muhammad al-Durrah and the emotional mobilization for protest
Authors: Ensel Remco
Published: June 2014

This article examines a couple of Arabic-language songs about the death of the young Muhammad al-Durrah on the second day of the Second Intifada, September 2000. The songs as well as the videos that have been uploaded confirm the iconic status of al-Durrah and demonstrate the significance of the incident as a means for emotional mobilization in anti-Israeli protest. Following the World War I studies by historian George Mosse, I propose in this article to identify the central motif of the songs as a nationalistic myth of the fallen martyr.
Frequency and morphological irregularity are independent variables. Evidence from a corpus study of Spanish verbs
Authors: Fratini Viviana , Acha Joana , Laka Itziar
Published: June 2014

We present the results of the first corpus analysis of Spanish verbs where the correlation between morphological irregularity and frequency was considered. In English, irregular verbs are more frequent than regular ones (Ullman, 1999 and Michel et al., 2011). We tested whether this frequency-irregularity relation observed in English would also hold in a more complex morphological system like Spanish. Results show that frequency and morphological irregularity do not correlate in Spanish. This pattern of results represents a challenge for the Dual-Mechanism model of morphology (Pinker and Prince 1988; Pinker and Ullman 2002), where all irregulars are argued to be stored whole in memory and are predicted to be more frequent than regulars.
Predicting Sorption Isotherms and Net Isosteric Heats of Sorption of Maize Grains at Different Temperatures
Authors: Talla André
Published: June 2014

In Sub-Saharan Africa, drying maize on their stem was the traditional technique frequently used; this technique must be improved to avoid contaminations and to increase the quality of drying. However, the method of storage is accountable for the most significant losses after harvest, because mildew develops when the conditions of storage (too high temperature and moisture of the air) do not tally with the final content of the dried product. Sorption isotherms of products are most important to model moisture uptake during storage and distribution. Sorption isotherms of intermediate moisture content maize grains were determined using the gravimetric static method of saturated salt solutions at 30°C, 40°C, 50°C, and 60°C, and GAB equation was applied to discuss the results. This model correctly describes the evolutions of maize sorption isotherms, with maximum deviation of 0.0080 kg water/kg db. The net isosteric heat of sorption was determined also, using the Clausius–Clapeyron equation, and it was varied from 463 kJ/kg to 1,264 kJ/kg, decreasing with increasing moisture content. This effect was well described by an exponential function with a regression coefficientR2> 97%. The monolayer moisture content was found to decrease with increasing temperature. These results can be used to predict the potential changes in the stability of maize grains and later for the development of a system of suitable drying.
A Note on Complementary Goods Mergers between Oligopolists with Market Power: Cournot Effects, Bundling and Antitrust
Authors: Masson Robert T. , Dalkir Serdar , Eisenstadt David
Published: June 2014

Antitrust policy in the US and EU toward non-horizontal mergers between oligopolists is based on a strong presumption of Cournot effects and/or improvements in consumer welfare through post-merger bundling. We show that complementary goods mergers between firms that possess market power in their respective components markets do not always assure either. The analysis underscores the importance of fully specifying the nature of pre-merger rivalry among all market participants and the assumed distribution of consumer preferences when making predictions about the likely effects of such transactions.
Investigation of the effect of microstructural parameters on the initial yield surface of non-isothermal composites
Authors: Ye Junjie , Qiu Yuanying , Zhai Zhi , Chen Xuefeng , Fan Yuchen
Published: June 2014

In this paper, the effects of microstructural parameters on the initial yield surface of non-isothermal composites were investigated. The fiber phase was assumed to be a linear elastic material, and the matrix was assumed to be a non-linear material. Incorporating the Bodner-Partom viscoplastic constitutive model into a high-fidelity generalized method of cells allowed the initial yield surfaces of non-isothermal composites with different microscopic arrays and fiber cross-section shapes to be studied. Moreover, working temperature effects on initial yield surface are also discussed. The results show that the initial yield stress in the σxx–σyyplane of unidirectional fiber-reinforced composites tends to decrease with increasing working temperature. Furthermore, the effects of fiber arrays and fiber off-axis angles on initial yield stress show similar variation at different working temperature conditions.
Editorial on Future Jet Technologies
Authors: Gal-Or Benjamin
Published: June 2014

Advanced jet engines do not operate in an application vacuum. Their optimal use in advanced military applications drives much of their basic innovative research and development, especially when new needs arise in the rapidly changing domains of stealth-agile, fighter aircraft and tailless-stealth, Jet-Steered, Unmanned Air Vehicles (JS-UAV). For these reasons we periodically update this Journal with new trends that affect, and sometimes control, research and development of future jet-engines. One relevant example is the recently unmasked RQ-180 stealth-tailless drone, which is an improved version of the smaller, RQ-170 captured by Iran. Most important, with the new X-47B/C tailless-stealth JS-UAV, it is to dominate future uses of fuel-efficient jet-engines, especially for operating in dusty environments. The RQ-180 has been secretly designed and funded since 2008. It is based on a classified, 1986, parent Israeli Patents 78402, which protect hundreds design and testing trade secrets taken from 1986 to 1997 by the United States Government (USG) via classified contracts with USG-Contractors Boeing, Lockheed, General Dynamics and General Electric, as revealed by a December 6, 2013 Aviation Week [1–3] and U.S. Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit, Case 2014-5028, Docket 12 [4]. The new RQ-180 design explains the recent U.S. Air Force ISR shift away from “permissive” environments – such as Iraq and Afghanistan, where non-stealthy Global Hawk and General Atomics' Reaper operate – toward new missions in highly “contested” or strongly “denied” enemy airspaces.
Self-Incompatibility in Brassicaceae: Identification and Characterization of SRK-Like Sequences Linked to the S-Locus in the Tribe Biscutelleae
Authors: Leducq Jean-Baptiste , Gosset Célia C , Gries Rita , Calin Kevin , Schmitt Éric , Castric Vincent , Vekemans Xavier
Published: June 2014

Self-incompatibility (SI) is a genetic system that prevents self-fertilization in many Angiosperms. Although plants from the Brassicaceae family present an apparently unique SI system that is ancestral to the family, investigations at the S-locus responsible for SI have been mostly limited to two distinct lineages (Brassica and Arabidopsis-Capsella, respectively). Here, we investigated SI in a third deep-branching lineage of Brassicaceae: the tribe Biscutelleae. By coupling sequencing of the SI gene responsible for pollen recognition (SRK) with phenotypic analyses based on controlled pollinations, we identified 20 SRK-like sequences functionally linked to 13 S-haplotypes in 21 individuals of Biscutella neustriaca and 220 seedlings. We found two genetic and phylogenetic features of SI in Biscutelleae that depart from patterns observed in the reference Arabidopsis clade: (1) SRK-like sequences cluster into two main phylogenetic lineages interspersed within the many SRK lineages of Arabidopsis; and (2) some SRK-like sequences are transmitted by linked pairs, suggesting local duplication within the S-locus. Strikingly, these features also were observed in the Brassica clade but probably evolved independently, as the two main SRK clusters in Biscutella are distinct from those in Brassica. In the light of our results and of what has been previously observed in other Brassicaceae, we discuss the ecological and evolutionary implications on SI plant populations of the high diversity and the complex dominance relationships we found at the S-locus in Biscutelleae.
Experience with implanted venous access ports between 2005 and 2012
Authors: Kovács Erika , Deme Edit , Bencsik Gábor
Published: June 2014

Introduction: During chemotherapy of cancer patients, vein inflammation may develop which may lead to pain and difficulty in blood sampling. The use of implanted venous access ports may overcome these problems. With a correct use of needles, venous port membrane may be pierced 2000–2500 times. Aim: The aim of the authors was to analyze their experience with venous access ports and evaluate whether insertion of venous ports occurred in an optimal time. Method: A retrospective study of 63 patients who received venous access ports between 2005 and 2012 was carried out. Complication rate and the time of venous port insertion were analysed. Results: Of the 63 patients, the venous access port was removed in 22 patients because it was no longer required (n = 14) due to the development of complications (n = 8). 24 patients died from the underlying disease and 17 patients are still alive with the venous port in place. Conclusions: In the period studied patients with venous access ports had an improved quality of life. However, the authors conclude that venous access ports were not inserted in an optimal time. Orv. Hetil., 2014, 155(25), 986–992.
Fasting ghrelin but not PYY(3-36) is associated with insulin-resistance independently of body weight in Wistar rats
Authors: Antunes Luciana da Conceição , Jornada Manoela Neves da , Elkfury Jessica Lorenzzi , Foletto Kelly Carraro , Bertoluci Marcello Casaccia
Published: June 2014

Objective: The objective of this study was to evaluate the association between insulin-resistance and fasting levels of ghrelin and PYY in Wistar rats. Materials and methods: A total of 25 male Wistar rats, weighing 200-300 g, was included in this study. The animals were maintained in cages with a 12/12h light-dark cycle and fed standard chow and water ad libitum. After 12-h overnight fasting, ghrelin, PYY, insulin and glucose values were determined. Insulin resistance was assessed by means of the HOMA-IR, which was ranked and the median was used as a cut-off value to categorize insulin-resistance. HOMA-IR values equal and above 2.62 were considered insulin-resistant (IR) while values below 2.62 were considered insulin sensitive (IS). Differences between means were determined using the Student t-test. Multiple regression and Pearson’s correlation test were used to evaluate the association between variables. Results: HOMA-IR median IQ range values for IS and IR groups were, respectively, 1.56 (0.89 – 2.16) vs. [4.06 (3.50 – 4.61); p < 0.001]. The IR group presented increased levels of fasting ghrelin, PYY and insulin respectively: [50.35 (25.99 – 74.71) pg/mL vs. 12.33 (8.77 – 15.89) pg/mL; p = 0.001]; [54.38 (37.50 – 71.26) pg/mL vs. 33.17 (22.34 – 43.99) pg/mL; p = 0.016]; [18.04 (14.48 – 21.60) uU/mL vs. 7.09 (4.83 – 9.35) uU/mL; p = 0.001]. Ghrelin, but not PYY, correlated linearly and positively with HOMA-IR: ghrelin vs. HOMA-IR (r = 0.52; p = 0.008), and PYY vs. HOMA-IR (r = 0.22; p = 0.200). This correlation was independent of body weight. Conclusion: Fasting ghrelin and PYY serum levels are increased in lean, relatively insulin resistant Wistar rats, and this increase is independent of weight.
A study of the chilean vertical network through global geopotential models and the cnes cls 2011 global mean sea surface
Authors: Castro Henry Montecino , Cordero Aharon Cuevas , Freitas Sílvio Rogério Correia de
Published: June 2014

Most aspects related to the horizontal component of the Geocentric Reference System for the Americas (SIRGAS) have been solved. However, in the case of the vertical component there are still aspects of definition, national realizations and continental unification still not accomplished. Chile is no exception; due to its particular geographic characteristics, a number of tide gauges (TG) had to be installed in the coast from which the leveling lines that compose the Chilean Vertical Network (CHVN) were established. This study explored the offsets of the CHVN by two different approaches; one geodetic and one oceanographic. In the first approach, the offsets were obtained in relation to the following Global Geopotential Models (GGM): the satellite-only model (unbiased) GO_CONS_gcf_2_tim_r3 derived from GOCE satellite mission; EGM2008 (combined-biased); and GOEGM08, combining information from the GO_CONS_gcf_2_tim_r3 in long wavelengths (n max~200) with the mean/short wavelengths of EGM2008 (n>200). In the oceanographic method, we used the CNES CLS 2011 Global Mean Sea surface and EIGEN_GRACE_5C GGM to obtain the values of MDT at the different TG. We also evaluated the CHVN in relation to different GGMs. The results showed consistency between the values obtained by the two methods at the TG of Valparaíso and Puerto Chacabuco. In terms of the evaluation of the GGM, GOEGM08 produced the best results.
Using a least squares support vector machine to estimate a local geometric geoid model
Authors: Kao Szu-Pyng , Chen Chao-Nan , Huang Hui-Chi , Shen Yu-Ting
Published: June 2014

In this study, test-region global positioning system (GPS) control points exhibiting known first-order orthometric heights were employed to obtain the points of plane coordinates and ellipsoidal heights by using the real-time GPS kinematic measurement method. Plane-fitting, second-order curve-surface fitting, back-propagation (BP) neural networks, and least-squares support vector machine (LS-SVM) calculation methods were employed. The study includes a discussion on data integrity and localization, changing reference-point quantities and distributions to obtain an optimal solution. Furthermore, the LS-SVM was combined with local geoidal-undulation models that were established by researching and analyzing3 kernel functions. The results indicated that the overall precision of the local geometric geoidal-undulation values calculated using the radial basis function (RBF) and third-order polynomial kernel function was optimal and the root mean square error (RMSE) was approximately ± 1.5 cm. These findings demonstrated that the LS-SVM provides a rapid and practical method for determining orthometric heights and should serve as a valuable academic reference regarding local geoid models.
A Mechanical Musculo-Skeletal System for a Human-Shaped Robot Arm
Authors: Koganezawa Koichi
Published: June 2014

This paper presents a mechanical system with a similar configuration to a human musculo-skeletal system for use in anthropomorphic robots or as artificial limbs for disabled persons. First, a mechanical module called ANLES (Actuator with Non-Linear Elasticity System) is introduced. There are two types of ANLES: the linear-type ANLES and rotary-type ANLES. They can be used as a voluntary muscle in a wide-range of musculo-skeletal structures in which at least double actuators work in an antagonistic setup via some elastic elements. Next, an application of the two types of ANLES to a two-degree-of-freedom (DOF) manipulator that has a similar configuration to the human elbow joint is shown. The experimental results of the joint stiffness and joint angle control elucidate that the developed mechanism effectively regulates joint stiffness in the same way as a musculo-skeletal system.
Soil Organic Carbon in Particle Size and Density Fractionations under Four Forest Vegetation-Land Use Types in Subtropical China
Authors: Shang Suyun , Jiang Peikun , Chang Scott , Song Zhaoliang , Liu Juan , Sun Lei
Published: June 2014

Data on the effect of vegetation and land use type on soil organic carbon (SOC) distribution in particle-size and density fractions in the subtropical forest region in China will improve our understanding of the C sequestration potential of those different vegetation-land use types. We quantified SOC in particle size (coarse, medium and fine) and density fractions (light and heavy) under four types of common forest vegetation-land uses: an evergreen broad-leaf forest, a pine forest, a managed chestnut forest and an intensively managed bamboo forest in subtropical China. The SOC in the 0–20 and 20–40 cm soil layers was the highest in the bamboo forest (31.6–34.8 g·C·kg−1), followed by the evergreen broad-leaf forest (10.2–19.9 g·C·kg−1), the pine forest (8.5–13.6 g·C·kg−1) and the chestnut forest (6.3–12.2 g·C·kg−1). The SOC was largely in the coarse fraction under the evergreen broad-leaf, pine and bamboo forests, while it was largely in the fine fraction in the chestnut forest, suggesting that SOC in the chestnut forest was likely more stable than that in the other forest vegetation-land use types. The SOC in the light fraction under the four forest vegetation-land use types ranged from 1.4 to 13.1 g·C·kg−1 soil, representing 21%–37% of the total organic C; this suggests that the majority of the SOC was in the better protected, heavy fraction. We conclude that forest vegetation-land use type (and the associated management practices) influenced SOC distribution in particle size and density fractions in the studied subtropical forests in southeastern China.
Layered Double Hydroxide-Based Nanocarriers for Drug Delivery
Authors: Bi Xue , Zhang Hui , Dou Liguang
Published: June 2014

Biocompatible clay materials have attracted particular attention as the efficient drug delivery systems (DDS). In this article, we review developments in the use of layered double hydroxides (LDHs) for controlled drug release and delivery. We show how advances in the ability to synthesize intercalated structures have a significant influence on the development of new applications of these materials. We also show how modification and/or functionalization can lead to new biotechnological and biomedical applications. This review highlights the most recent progresses in research on LDH-based controlled drug delivery systems, focusing mainly on: (i) DDS with cardiovascular drugs as guests; (ii) DDS with anti-inflammatory drugs as guests; and (iii) DDS with anti-cancer drugs as guests. Finally, future prospects for LDH-based drug carriers are also discussed.
Demand of Insurance under the Cost-of-Capital Premium Calculation Principle
Authors: Merz Michael , Wüthrich Mario
Published: June 2014

We study the optimal insurance design problem. This is a risk sharing problem between an insured and an insurer. The main novelty in this paper is that we study this optimization problem under a risk-adjusted premium calculation principle for the insurance cover. This risk-adjusted premium calculation principle uses the cost-of-capital approach as it is suggested (and used) by the regulator and the insurance industry.
A Magnetic Sensor with Amorphous Wire
Authors: He Dongfeng , Shiwa Mitsuharu
Published: June 2014

Using a FeCoSiB amorphous wire and a coil wrapped around it, we have developed a sensitive magnetic sensor. When a 5 mm long amorphous wire with the diameter of 0.1 mm was used, the magnetic field noise spectrum of the sensor was about 30 pT/ÖHz above 30 Hz. To show the sensitivity and the spatial resolution, the magnetic field of a thousand Japanese yen was scanned with the magnetic sensor.
La participation associative en France : une analyse longitudinale
Authors: Wolff François-Charles , Prouteau Lionel
Published: June 2014

En lien avec les recherches sur le secteur sans but lucratif, la participation associative a connu depuis quelques années un net regain d’intérêt de la part des économistes et plus généralement des chercheurs en sciences sociales. Si les déterminants de cette participation ont fait l’objet de maints travaux, la dynamique des affiliations au cours du temps n’a pas recueilli la même attention. Les adhésions sont-elles durables ou au contraire soumises à une forte mobilité ? L’objet de cet article est de documenter cette question en utilisant les données longitudinales de l’Europanel français sur la période allant de 1994 à 2001. L’étude souligne l’importance des flux entrants et sortants des associations : parmi les personnes qui se sont déclarées adhérentes au cours de cette période, une minorité l’a été continûment. Toutefois, cette incontestable mobilité n’est pas exclusive d’un effet d’inertie dans les comportements d’affiliation. Ainsi, l’estimation de modèles dynamiques en présence d’une variable dépendante discrète met en évidence l’existence d’un phénomène de dépendance d’état qui se traduit par une forte corrélation de la participation courante avec la participation antérieure.
Factors Associated with Breast Cancer Mortality after Local Recurrence
Authors: Dent R. , Valentini A. , Hanna W. , Rawlinson E. , Rakovitch E. , Sun P. , Narod S.A.
Published: June 2014

Purpose: We aimed to identify risk factors for mortality after local recurrence in women treated for invasive breast cancer with breast-conserving surgery. Experimental Design: Our prospective cohort study included 267 women who were treated with breast-conserving surgery at Women’s College Hospital from 1987 to 1997 and who later developed local recurrence. Clinical information and tumour receptor status were abstracted from medical records and pathology reports. Patients were followed from the date of local recurrence until death or last follow-up. Survival analysis used a Cox proportional hazards model. Results: Among the 267 women with a local recurrence, 97 (36.3%) died of breast cancer within 10 years (on average 2.6 years after the local recurrence). The actuarial risk of death was 46.1% at 10 years from recurrence. In a multivariable model, predictors of death included short time from diagnosis to recurrence [hazard ratio (hr) for <5 years compared with ≥10 years: 3.40; 95% confidence interval (ci): 1.04 to 11.1; p = 0.04], progesterone receptor positivity (hr: 0.35; 95% ci: 0.23 to 0.54; p < 0.001), lymph node positivity (hr: 2.1; 95% ci: 1.4 to 3.3; p = 0.001), and age at local recurrence (hr for age >45 compared with age ≤45 years: 0.61; 95% ci: 0.38 to 0.95; p = 0.03). Conclusions: The risk of death after local recurrence varies widely. Risk factors for death after local recurrence include node positivity, progesterone receptor negativity, young age at recurrence, and short time from diagnosis to recurrence.
Non-Myeloablative Allogeneic Hematopoietic Transplantation for Patients with Hematologic Malignancies: 9-Year Single-Centre Experience
Authors: AlJohani N.I. , Thompson K. , Hasegawa W. , White D. , Kew A. , Couban S.
Published: June 2014

Matched related and unrelated allogeneic nonmyeloablative hematopoietic transplantation (NMT) is increasingly being used in patients with hematologic malignancies. Conditioning regimens and indications for NMT vary considerably from centre to centre. Our institution uses intravenous fludarabine and cyclophosphamide, plus graft-versus-host disease (GVHD) prophylaxis with tacrolimus and mycophenolate mofetil. We retrospectively analyzed 89 consecutive patients who underwent NMT (65 related, 24 unrelated) at our institution from October 2002 to September 2011. The most frequent indications for NMT were acute myelocytic leukemia (high-risk in first complete or subsequent remission: n = 20, 22.5%) and relapsed follicular lymphoma (n = 18, 20.2%). The cumulative incidence of acute GVHD (grades 2–4) was 28.1% (n = 25), and rates were similar for related (n = 18, 28%) and unrelated (n = 7, 29%) NMT. At a median follow-up of 22.6 months, the cumulative incidence of chronic GVHD (limited and extensive) was 68% (n = 61): 68.5% (n = 44) for related and 71% (n = 17) for unrelated NMT. The 100-day transplant-related mortality rate was 2.2%: 1.5% for related and 4.2% for unrelated NMT. Of the 89 patients, 30 (33.7%) have relapsed: 41.5% after related and 12.5% after unrelated NMT. Relapse rates were similar in patients with myeloid and lymphoid malignancies (36.4% vs. 33.3%). The 3-year overall and progression-free survival rates were 50.0% and 43.4% respectively, with multivariate analysis showing that neither rate was affected by age, disease group, status at transplantation, or related compared with unrelated NMT. Our findings indicate that, despite its limitations, including the incidence of chronic GVHD, NMT is an important treatment modality for a selected subgroup of patients with hematologic malignancies.
Ottawa Cardiac Oncology Program Wins 2013 Cancer Quality Council of Ontario Innovation Award
Authors: Sulpher J. , Johnson C. , Turek M. , Law A. , Stadnick E. , Hopkins S. , Graham N. , Dent S.F.
Published: June 2014

The Ottawa Cardiac Oncology Program (ocop) has won the 2013 Innovation award from the Cancer Quality Council of Ontario [...]
Biantennary oligoglycines and glyco-oligoglycines self-associating in aqueous medium
Authors: Tsygankova Svetlana V , Chinarev Alexander A , Tuzikov Alexander B , Severin Nikolai , Kalachev Alexey A , Rabe Juergen P , Gambaryan Alexandra S , Bovin Nicolai V
Published: June 2014

Oligoglycines designed in a star-like fashion, so-called tri- and tetraantennary molecules, were found to form highly ordered supramers in aqueous medium. The formation of these supramers occurred either spontaneously or due to the assistance of a mica surface. The driving force of the supramer formation is hydrogen bonding, the polypeptide chain conformation is related to the folding of helical polyglycine II (PG II). Tri- and tetraantennary molecules are capable of association if the antenna length reach 7 glycine (Gly) residues. Properties of similar biantennary molecules have not been investigated yet, and we compared their self-aggregating potency with similar tri- and tetraantennary analogs. Here, we synthesized oligoglycines of the general formula R-Glyn-Х-Glyn-R (X = -HN-(СН2)m-NH-, m = 2, 4, 10; n = 1–7) without pendant ligands (R = H) and with two pendant sialoligands (R = sialic acid or sialooligosaccharide). Biantennary oligoglycines formed PG II aggregates, their properties, however, differ from those of the corresponding tri- and tetraantennary oligoglycines. In particular, the tendency to aggregate starts from Gly4 motifs instead of Gly7. The antiviral activity of end-glycosylated peptides was studied, and all capable of assembling glycopeptides demonstrated an antiviral potency which was up to 50 times higher than the activity of peptide-free glycans.
ISOLATION OF F-WAVE FROM ELECTROCARDIOGRAM USING NEW LMS ALGORITHM
Authors: Ciaccio Edward J. , Biviano Angelo B. , Garan Hasan
Published: June 2014

The electrocardiogram F-wave arising from atrial electrical activity is an important global measure for assessment of atrial fibrillation (AF). However, successful F-wave extraction from the ventricular waveform can be problematic. Herein, a new F-wave isolation technique is introduced. For analysis, electrocardiogram lead I (termed unfiltered or UNF-signals) was retrospectively analyzed (39 AF patients, 8.4-s recordings, 8192 sample points, 96 recordings in total). To measure the efficacy of isolation techniques, a synthetic F-wave (7.29 Hz) and an interference were added to each electrocardiogram signal. In the resulting composite signals, the average electrocardiogram QRST complex template was subtracted from each actual QRST (AVG-isolation). The QRST template was also adjusted using a new adaptive least mean-squares (LMS) algorithm, and subtracted from each actual QRST (termed LMS-isolation). Four spectral parameters were measured to assess isolated F-wave quality: the dominant amplitude (DA), dominant frequency (DF) and mean/standard deviation in spectral profile (MP/SP). Significant parameter differences between UNF/LMS and between AVG/LMS were determined. The electrocardiogram F-wave spectral parameters were significantly improved by incorporating LMS-isolation as compared to no isolation (p < 0.001). The F-wave spectral parameters were also significantly improved using LMS-isolation as compared with AVG-isolation (DA/MP/SP: p < 0.001; DF: p < 0.05). The DF was correctly identified as 7.29 ± 0.10 Hz using ensemble spectral analysis with the following percentages (UNF: 24.0%, AVG: 69.8%, LMS: 80.2%), and Fourier spectral analysis with the following percentages (UNF: 15.6%, AVG: 60.4%, LMS: 75.0%). The LMS algorithm is helpful to isolate the electrocardiogram F-wave from the ventricular component as measured by spectral analysis, when compared to the use of an average QRST subtraction template.
Service-Oriented Architecture for Developing Web-Based Applications for Connected Government
Authors: Ramachandran Muthu , Mahmood Zaigham , Raj Pethuru
Published: June 2014

Connected Government suggests provisioning of a government's services to its citizens using the Web and communications technologies employing the latest software development paradigms and related methodologies. This also requires appropriate integration of, and interaction between, software applications and e-services developed by various government departments as well as the other influencing sectors of the society such as commerce. This is especially so as the connected government (c-government) applications require open, flexible, interoperable, collaborative, and integrated architecture to provide services for the emerging technologies such as mobile, cloud, and big data. This, in turn, suggests a robust and standard mechanism to develop such applications and services. In this context, Service-Oriented Architecture (SOA) is an attractive approach to adopt. SOA has already been proven successful in providing such a framework for delivering software applications as services with flexibility and multi-platform and multi-channel integration that are necessarily required for c-government application offerings. This chapter provides a discussion of the SOA paradigm and the associated citizen and administrative requirements. The chapter also presents a service-oriented architectural framework based on a set of evaluated application characteristics that support newer technologies. A number of service-component models have also been proposed that provide required customisation, reuse, flexibility, and extensibility. In the context of the proposed overall service-oriented architecture, a large-scale sub-system that the authors term “e-Taxservice” has been used as a case study. The study has a service design that has been validated against a set of key service quality attributes.
Enhancing Data Management in E-Government Using Data Categorization and Visualization Techniques
Authors: Milutinović Miloš , Despotović-Zrakić Marijana , Simić Konstantin , Anđelić Mihajlo
Published: June 2014

Modern information and communication systems can process massive amounts of data automatically and efficiently, but human beings have a limited cognitive capacity. Organizations that handle data on a larger scale need to adjust and streamline their operations in order to cope with this complexity. The e-Government information systems present problems that are on an entirely different scale, with communication streams between citizens and government easily dwarfing those in the private sectors. The information flows in e-Government are further constrained by established processes and practices that are hard to change and strict privacy concerns. A solution to problems of complexity and inefficiency of data manipulation in e-Government is needed. This chapter analyzes models and techniques of data categorization and visualization that can be employed in the context of e-Government. Methods of categorization, metadata, and ontologies in particular are explored for use in such an environment. A simple government ontology framework is developed as a starting point for introduction of ontologies into the e-Government context and the information is structured in such a way to allow easy correlation and navigation between concepts. A simple but intuitive visual representation of information and their relations is developed to facilitate better understanding of complex topics.
Emerging and Traditional ICT as Critical Success Factors for Local Governments
Authors: Claver-Cortes Enrique , de Juana-Espinosa Susana , Valdés-Conca Jorge
Published: June 2014

It was not long ago when Information and Communication Technologies (ICT) were not ubiquitous and Web 2.0 was the stuff of science fiction. However, these technologies are now here to stay, and local governments should learn how to make the most of them. In this chapter, the situation of emerging ICT in Spain in general and for Spanish e-government in particular is described. Next, the results of an empirical study based on a longitudinal quantitative survey are shown. The survey was carried out in 2005, before the advent of Web 2.0, and again in 2012. In the survey, the Chief Information Officers (CIO) of Spanish municipalities express their opinions on critical success factors that may enhance or hinder the effectiveness, connectivity, and transparency of their strategies for a connected government (c-government). The comparative findings reveal that political issues set off, then and now, local e-government success and failure, whereas ICT-based issues, once very important for these CIOs, have been downgraded in their minds. Therefore, the emergence of social media, mobile technologies, Web 2.0, and connected government has not had a truly significant role in the quest for e-government success on their own, but in combination with other factors. The chapter also discusses the related factors.
Teach Your WiFi-Device
Authors: Sigg Stephan , Shi Shuyu , Ji Yusheng
Published: June 2014

The authors consider two untackled problems in RF-based activity recognition: the distinction of simultaneously conducted activities of individuals and the recognition of gestures from purely time-domain-based features. Recognition is based on a single antenna system. This is important for the application in end-user devices which are usually single-antenna systems and have seldom access to more sophisticated, e.g. frequency-based features. In case studies with software defined radio nodes utilised in an active, device-free activity recognition (DFAR) system, the authors observe a good recognition accuracy for the detection of multiple simultaneously conducted activities with two and more receive devices. Four gestures and two baseline situations are distinguished with good accuracy in a second case study.
Hybridizing Shuffled Frog Leaping and Shuffled Complex Evolution Algorithms Using Local Search Methods
Authors: Ahandani Morteza Alinia , Alavi-Rad Hosein
Published: June 2014

In this research, a study was carried out to exploit the hybrid schemes combining two classical local search techniques i.e. Nelder–Mead simplex search method and bidirectional random optimization with two meta-heuristic methods i.e. the shuffled frog leaping and the shuffled complex evolution, respectively. In this hybrid methodology, each subset of meta-heuristic algorithms is improved by a hybrid strategy that is combined from evolutionary process of each subset in related algorithm and a local search method. These hybrid algorithms are evaluated on low and high dimensional continuous benchmark functions and the obtained results are compared with their non-hybrid competitors. The obtained results demonstrate that the hybrid algorithm combined from shuffled frog leaping and Nelder–Mead simplex has a better success rate but a higher number of function evaluations on low-dimensional functions than the shuffled frog leaping. Whereas on high-dimensional functions it has a better success rate and a faster performance. Also the hybrid algorithm combined from shuffled complex evolution and bidirectional random optimization obtains a better performance in terms of success rate and function evaluations than shuffled complex evolution on low dimensional functions; whereas on high-dimensional functions, it obtains a better success rate but a slower performance. Also a comparison of our hybrid algorithms with the other evolutionary algorithms reported in the literature confirms our proposed algorithms have the best performance among all compared algorithms.
A Home Agent Initiated Handover Solution for Fine-Grained Offloading in Future Mobile Internet Architectures
Authors: Bokor László , Kovács József , Szabó Csaba Attila
Published: June 2014

The currently standardized IP Flow Mobility (IFOM) solution in 3GPP is strictly User Equipment (UE) centric as the operator must firstly deliver the flow routing policies to the UE, and then the UE must provide these policies to the Packet Data Network Gateway (PGW). Network-based (NB) solutions try to eliminate the above limitations and create an operator centric flow management framework. This paper is committed to give an overview of existing offloading techniques, to introduce the power of network-based solutions, and to propose a MIPv6/DSMIPv6 based NB-IFOM scheme relying on Home Agent initiated flow binding and aiming to enable operators to enforce IP flow routing policies without involving the UE first, such making able the PCRF (Policy and Charging Rules Function) to decide on the flow routing policy based on e.g., the available resources in the network, before signaling the policies to the UE. The authors have implemented their proposal, and performed an extensive evaluation in a hybrid real-emulated tested environment.
From Text to Semantic Geodata Enrichment
Authors: Mahmoudi Khaoula , Faiz Sami
Published: June 2014

Geographically referenced information are captured, managed, analyzed and displayed by the geographic information system (GIS). This information will help to better understand and analyze a host of human activities in an attempt to reach a more sustainable future. Moreover, these information are sometimes hardly available due to the cost entailed by the acquisition process and the maintenance. Hence, efforts are devoted to bring the interesting information with less cost. In this context, the authors propose an approach dedicated to the enrichment of the semantic aspect of geographic database (GDB). The approach emerges from the agents' interaction in conformity with the multi-agents framework. It deals with an Interface agent, Task agents and Geographic ones. These agents are to process a corpus of documents related to the geographic entity at hand. This processing consists of extracting the essence of information from the managed corpus to enrich the GDB. These agents follow a pipelined approach consisting of the following stages: text fragmentation, thematic annotation, delegation and text filtering. Besides these basic stages, a refinement is to be performed in case of user unsatisfaction and this by exploring the spatial relationships.
Semantic Text Summarization Based on Syntactic Patterns
Authors: Haggag Mohamed H.
Published: June 2014

Text summarization is machine based generation of a shortened version of a text. The summary should be a non-redundant extract from the original text. Most researches of text summarization use sentence extraction instead of abstraction to produce a summary. Extraction is depending mainly on sentences that already contained in the original input, which makes it more accurate and more concise. When all input articles are surrounding a particular event, extracting similar sentences would result in producing a highly repetitive summary. In this paper, a novel model for text summarization is proposed based on removing the non-effective sentences in producing an extract from the text. The model utilizes semantic analysis by evaluating sentences similarity. This similarity is provided by evaluating individual words similarity as well as syntactic relationships between neighboring words. These relationships addressed throughout the model as syntactic patterns. Word senses and the correlating part of speech for the word within context are provided in the semantic processing of matched patterns. The introduction of syntactic patterns knowledge supports text reduction by mapping the matched patterns into summarized ones. In addition, syntactic patterns make use of sentence relatedness evaluation in defining which sentences to keep and which to drop. Experiments proved that the model presented throughout the paper is well performing in results evaluation of compression rate, accuracy, recall and other human criteria like correctness, novelty, fluency and usefulness.
Sociofact Theory
Authors: Riss Uwe V. , Magenheim Johannes
Published: June 2014

The current study concentrates on units of organizational knowledge that the authors call sociofacts following a terminology introduced by J. Huxley. The analysis looks at the constituents of sociofacts as well as their lifecycle, starting from the concept of knowledge asset. It is based on insights from various established theories such as Activity Theory, Nonaka's SECI model, Boundary Objects and Transactive Memory Theory. The authors investigate how the form of sociofacts changes during the Knowledge Maturing process and point at their business relevance. The goal of the paper is to improve the understanding of the structure of organizational knowledge and the process of knowledge maturing.
Measurements through Rectenna System
Authors: Griffo G. , Vergallo P.
Published: June 2014

In this paper a rectenna system for wireless transmission of power is presented, describing the correlated tools for the measurement of electromagnetic fields, in order to optimize the system. The first part is dedicated to the benefits of the currently used systems based on rectenna technology as alternative to the traditional supply systems. After, the diverse structures of rectenna system and their operating modes are discussed. The major parameters of interest for a performance analysis of the rectenna, and the most appropriate tools for a correct measurement of the radiated and absorbed electromagnetic field by the rectenna are reported too.