bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
EGFR Mutation Heterogeneity and the Mixed Response to EGFR Tyrosine Kinase Inhibitors of Lung Adenocarcinomas
Authors: Chen Zhi-Yong , Zhong Wen-Zhao , Zhang Xu-Chao , Su Jian , Yang Xue-Ning , Chen Zhi-Hong , Yang Jin-Ji , Zhou Qing , Yan Hong-Hong , An She-Juan , Chen Hua-Jun , Jiang Ben-Yuan , Mok Tony S. , Wu Yi-Long
Published: June 2012

Background.

Non-small cell lung cancer patients with epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) mutations have mixed responses to tyrosine kinase inhibitors (TKIs). Intertumor heterogeneity in EGFR mutations is one potential explanation for this phenomenon.

Methods.

We performed direct sequencing to identify EGFR mutations in 180 pairs of lung adenocarcinoma samples (from 3,071 patients). The high-resolution melting method was used in discordant cases to confirm EGFR mutation status. Matching samples were divided into four groups: primary lesions detected at different times, primary tumors with matched metastatic lymph nodes, multiple pulmonary nodules, and primary tumors with matched distant metastases. Multivariate analyses were performed to evaluate correlations between heterogeneity and patient characteristics.

Results.

In the study population, the discordance rate was 13.9% (25 of 180). The multiple pulmonary nodules group had the highest discordance rate of 24.4% (10 of 41; odds ratio for heterogeneity in primary lesions detected at different times, 6.37; 95% confidence interval, 1.71–23.72; p = .006). Discordance rates in the metachronous and synchronous settings were 15.7% (22 of 140) and 7.5% (three of 40), respectively. In the 34 patients who developed EGFR TKI resistance, 10 (29.4%) cases exhibited heterogeneity and five (14.7%) patients exhibited a mixed response to the drug. Three (8.8%) of the patients with a mixed response also exhibited discordant EGFR mutations.

Conclusions.

The overall discordance rate of EGFR mutation heterogeneity in Asian patients with pulmonary adenocarcinoma is relatively low, but the rate in patients with multiple pulmonary nodules is significantly higher. This observation may explain the mixed tumor response to EGFR TKIs.
An appraisal of design provisions for bottle-shaped struts
Authors: Sahoo Dipak Kumar , Singh Bhupinder , Bhargava Pradeep
Published: June 2012

Ever since their inception, strut-and-tie modelling (STM) provisions in most of the current design codes have remained virtually unchanged, in spite of significant research-driven advances in the recent past. An appraisal of the ACI 318 STM provisions related to bottle-shaped struts has been carried out in the context of research findings reported in the literature. This appraisal has been used to propose a simple and robust analytical model for the efficiency factor which is used to estimate the strength of bottle-shaped struts. The proposed strut efficiency factor model, besides taking into account the strength of concrete, also considers the effect of inclination of the strut with an adjoining tie. For struts with inclination angles less than a certain threshold value that depends on the concrete strength, the efficiency factors recommended by current design codes are shown to be unconservative when compared with the predictions of the proposed model and other similar models in the literature. An alternative to the ACI minimum reinforcement formulation for bottle-shaped struts, which takes into account material strength characteristics, is discussed and the corrected form of the minimum reinforcement formulation has been used to identify a conflict in the deep beam web reinforcement provisions of ACI 318-08.
Assessment of boreal forest historical C dynamics in the Yukon River Basin: relative roles of warming and fire regime change
Authors: Yuan F.-M. , Yi S.-H. , McGuire A. D. , Johnson K. D. , Liang J. , Harden J. W. , Kasischke E. S. , Kurz W. A.
Published: June 2012

Carbon (C) dynamics of boreal forest ecosystems have substantial implications for efforts to mitigate the rise of atmospheric CO2 and may be substantially influenced by warming and changing wildfire regimes. In this study we applied a large‐scale ecosystem model that included dynamics of organic soil horizons and soil organic matter characteristics of multiple pools to assess forest C stock changes of the Yukon River Basin (YRB) in Alaska, USA, and Canada from 1960 through 2006, a period characterized by substantial climate warming and increases in wildfire. The model was calibrated for major forests with data from long‐term research sites and evaluated using a forest inventory database. The regional assessment indicates that forest vegetation C storage increased by 46 Tg C, but that total soil C storage did not change appreciably during this period. However, further analysis suggests that C has been continuously lost from the mineral soil horizon since warming began in the 1970s, but has increased in the amorphous organic soil horizon. Based on a factorial experiment, soil C stocks would have increased by 158 Tg C if the YRB had not undergone warming and changes in fire regime. The analysis also identified that warming and changes in fire regime were approximately equivalent in their effects on soil C storage, and interactions between these two suggests that the loss of organic horizon thickness associated with increases in wildfire made deeper soil C stocks more vulnerable to loss via decomposition. Subbasin analyses indicate that C stock changes were primarily sensitive to the fraction of burned forest area within each subbasin and that boreal forest ecosystems in the YRB are currently transitioning from being sinks to sources at ∼0.7% annual area burned. We conclude that it is important for international mitigation efforts focused on controlling atmospheric CO2 to consider how climate warming and changes in fire regime may concurrently affect the CO2 sink strength of boreal forests. It is also important for large‐scale biogeochemical and earth system models to include organic soil dynamics in applications to assess regional C dynamics of boreal forests responding to warming and changes in fire regime.
EMERGENT IDENTITY MATCHING AFTER SUCCESSIVE MATCHING TRAINING, I: REFLEXIVITY OR GENERALIZED IDENTITY?
Authors: Urcuioli Peter J.
Published: June 2012

This research investigated the source of an ostensible reflexivity effect in pigeons reported by Sweeney and Urcuioli (2010). In Experiment 1, pigeons learned two symmetrically reinforced symbolic successive matching tasks (hue‐form and form‐hue) using red‐green and triangle‐horizontal line stimuli. They differed in their third concurrently trained baseline task: form‐form matching with stimuli appearing in the symbolic tasks (triangle and horizontal) for one group versus hue‐hue matching with stimuli not appearing in the symbolic tasks (blue and white) for the other. During subsequent nonreinforced probe tests, all pigeons in the former group and most pigeons in the latter group responded more to the comparisons on matching than on nonmatching red‐green probes. In Experiment 2, the latter group was tested on nonreinforced form‐form probes. One of the 4 pigeons responded significantly more to the comparisons on matching than on nonmatching triangle‐horizontal probes. These data are consistent with generalized identity and at least one other interpretation of the reflexivity results and question the functional stimulus assumption of Urcuioli's (2008) stimulus‐class theory.
WHATEVER GAVE YOU THAT IDEA? FALSE MEMORIES FOLLOWING EQUIVALENCE TRAINING: A BEHAVIORAL ACCOUNT OF THE MISINFORMATION EFFECT
Authors: Challies Danna M. , Hunt Maree , Garry Maryanne , Harper David N.
Published: June 2012

The misinformation effect is a term used in the cognitive psychological literature to describe both experimental and real‐world instances in which misleading information is incorporated into an account of an historical event. In many real‐world situations, it is not possible to identify a distinct source of misinformation, and it appears that the witness may have inferred a false memory by integrating information from a variety of sources. In a stimulus equivalence task, a small number of trained relations between some members of a class of arbitrary stimuli result in a large number of untrained, or emergent relations, between all members of the class. Misleading information was introduced into a simple memory task between a learning phase and a recognition test by means of a match‐to‐sample stimulus equivalence task that included both stimuli from the original learning task and novel stimuli. At the recognition test, participants given equivalence training were more likely to misidentify patterns than those who were not given such training. The misinformation effect was distinct from the effects of prior stimulus exposure, or partial stimulus control. In summary, stimulus equivalence processes may underlie some real‐world manifestations of the misinformation effect.
A MECHANISM FOR REDUCING DELAY DISCOUNTING BY ALTERING TEMPORAL ATTENTION
Authors: Radu Peter T. , Yi Richard , Bickel Warren K. , Gross James J. , McClure Samuel M.
Published: June 2012

Rewards that are not immediately available are discounted compared to rewards that are immediately available. The more a person discounts a delayed reward, the more likely that person is to have a range of behavioral problems, including clinical disorders. This latter observation has motivated the search for interventions that reduce discounting. One surprisingly simple method to reduce discounting is an “explicit‐zero” reframing that states default or null outcomes. Reframing a classical discounting choice as “something now but nothing later” versus “nothing now but more later” decreases discount rates. However, it is not clear how this “explicit‐zero” framing intervention works. The present studies delineate and test two possible mechanisms to explain the phenomenon. One mechanism proposes that the explicit‐zero framing creates the impression of an improving sequence, thereby enhancing the present value of the delayed reward. A second possible mechanism posits an increase in attention allocation to temporally distant reward representations. In four experiments, we distinguish between these two hypothesized mechanisms and conclude that the temporal attention hypothesis is superior for explaining our results. We propose a model of temporal attention whereby framing affects intertemporal preferences by modifying present bias.
RELATIONAL DISCRIMINATION BY PIGEONS IN A GO/NO‐GO PROCEDURE WITH COMPOUND STIMULI: A METHODOLOGICAL NOTE
Authors: Campos Heloísa Cursi , Debert Paula , Barros Romariz da Silva , McIlvane William J.
Published: June 2012

A go/no‐go procedure with compound stimuli typically establishes emergent behavior that parallels in structure and typical outcome that of conventional tests for symmetric, transitive, and equivalence relations in normally capable adults. The present study employed a go/no‐go compound stimulus procedure with pigeons. During training, pecks to two‐component compounds A1B1, A2B2, B1C1, and B2C2 were followed by food. Pecks to compounds A1B2, A2B1, B1C2, and B2C1 re‐started the 30‐s stimulus presentation interval. The absence of pecking to those compounds for 30 s ended the trial. Subsequent tests presented these components in new spatial arrangements and/or in recombinative compounds that together corresponded to conventional tests of symmetry, transitivity, and equivalence: B1A1, B2A2, C1B1, C2B2, A1C1, A2C2, C1A1, C2A2 vs. B1A2, B2A1, C1B2, C2B1, A1C2, A2C1, C1A2, C2A1 (positive vs. negative instances of symmetric, transitive, and equivalence relations). On tests for symmetric relations, all pigeons behaved in a manner consistent with training on both positive instances (i.e., by responding) and on negative instances (i.e., by not responding). By contrast, the pigeons' behavior on tests for transitivity and equivalence was inconsistent with baseline training, thus failing to show the recombinative discrimination performance that is typical of normally capable humans when trained and tested using the go/no‐go procedure with compound stimuli.
Building XML-driven application generators with compiler construction tools
Authors: Sarasa-Cabezuelo Antonio , Temprado-Battad Bryan , Rodríguez-Cerezo Daniel , Sierra José-Luis
Published: June 2012

This paper describes how to use conventional compiler construction tools, and
parser generators in particular, to build XML driven application generators.
In our approach, the document interface is provided by a standard
stream-oriented XML processing framework (e.g., SAX or StAX). This framework
is used to program a generic, customizable XML scanner that transforms
documents into streams of suitable tokens (opening and closing tags,
character data, etc.). The next step is to characterize the syntactic
structure of these streams in terms of generation-specific context-free
grammars. By adding suitable semantic attributes and semantic actions to
these grammars, developers obtain generation-oriented translation schemes:
high-level specifications of the generation tasks. These specifications are
then turned into working application generators by using standard parser
generation technology. We illustrate the approach with , an
XML-driven generator of shortest-route search applications in subway
networks.
Automatic generation of E-Courses based on explicit representation of instructional design
Authors: Savic Goran , Segedinac Milan , Konjovic Zora
Published: June 2012

This paper presents the system for automatic generation of IMS LD compliant
E-Course from three components: machine readable explicit representation of
instructional design, ontology of learning goals, and IMS Content Packaging
compliant learning resources. For the explicit representation of
instructional design, we have created a new domain-specific language named
ELIDL which is aimed primarily at assistance to implementation of various
pedagogical approaches in the course. Using ELIDL a teacher defines
instructional design template which is one of the input parameters for the
course generation. The system is verified by generating examples of the six
different instructional designs for the Web Programming e-course via
templates written in ELIDL.
Experimental investigation of the quality and productivity of software factories based development
Authors: Krajnc Andrej , Hericko Marjan , Gerlec Crt , Goljat Uros , Polancic Gregor
Published: June 2012

Software organizations are always looking for approaches that help improve
the quality and productivity of developed software products. Quality software
is easy to maintain and reduces the cost of software development. The
Software Factories (SF) approach is one of the approaches to provide such
benefits. In this paper, the quality and productivity benefits of the SF
approach were examined and evaluated with an experiment involving two
treatments - the traditional and the SF approach. For the purposes of this
experiment, the Goal ? Question ? Metric (GQM) approach was used.
Participants were grouped into thirty two teams. There were sixteen projects
available. The results were evaluated and presented through quality and
productivity criteria, which were used for the experimental study. The
results showed that the Software Factories approach was significantly better
than the traditional approach.
AKNOBAS: A knowledge-based segmentation recommender system based on intelligent data mining techniques
Authors: Rodríguez-González Alejandro , Torres-Niño Javier , Jimenez-Domingo Enrique , Gomez-Berbis Miguel , Alor-Hernandez Giner
Published: June 2012

Recommender Systems have recently undergone an unwavering improvement in
terms of efficiency and pervasiveness. They have become a source of
competitive advantage in many companies which thrive on them as the
technological core of their business model. In recent years, we have made
substantial progress in those Recommender Systems outperforming the accuracy
and added-value of their predecessors, by using cutting-edge techniques such
as Data Mining and Segmentation. In this paper, we present AKNOBAS, a
Knowledge-based Segmentation Recommender System, which follows that trend
using Intelligent Clustering Techniques for Information Systems. The
contribution of this Recommender System has been validated through a business
scenario implementation proof-of-concept and provides a clear breakthrough of
marshaling information through AI techniques.
Scope of MPI/OpenMP/CUDA parallelization of harmonic coupled finite strip method applied on large displacement stability analysis of prismatic shell structures
Authors: Hajdukovic M. , Milasinovic D.D. , Nikolic M. , Rakic P.S. , Zivanov Z. , Stricevic L.
Published: June 2012

This paper presents scope of parallelization in large displacement stability
analysis of orthotropic prismatic shells with simply supported boundary
conditions along the diaphragm-supported edges. A semi-analytical harmonic
coupled finite strip method (HCFSM) is used to solve the large deflection and
the post-buckling problems. In the HCFSM formulation the coupling of all
series terms highly increases computation time when a large number of series
terms is used. Fortunately such computation time increase can be compensated
by application of MPI, OpenMP and CUDA approaches to parallelization. This
paper shows how these approaches can be applied to HCFSM formulation, and
what results can be expected.
Exploring the use of contextual modules for understanding and supporting collaborative learning activities: An empirical study
Authors: Xiao Lu
Published: June 2012

We report three student groups? collaboration experiences in a semester-long
classroom project. The project included both tasks that required completion
in virtual group workspace and activities that could be carried out in the
physical world environment. We observed different collaboration patterns
among the groups with respect to building and maintaining social
relationships, submitting individual work to the group, and scheduling group
meetings. We use Bereiter?s two contextual modules, intentional learning and
schoolwork, to help us understand the observed patterns and suggest that the
group leader?s contextual module plays a significant role in all members?
group learning experiences and outcomes. We propose design implications that
are intended for encouraging learning-based (as opposed to work-based)
practices in virtual group environments.
A new strategic tool for internal audit of the company based on fuzzy logic
Authors: Pesic Aleksandar , Pesic Duska , Tepavcevic Andreja
Published: June 2012

Since the internal audit of the company is essential to supply information
needed for the effective management and improvement of the competitive
position, the purpose of this paper is to introduce an innovative strategic
management tool for the assessment of internal organizational factors that
overcomes some limitations of traditional appraisal methods, and also enables
more comprehensive evaluation of the company?s internal environment. Although
the classical Internal Factor Evaluation matrix (IFE matrix) is widely used,
it has some constraints, such are lack of considering the ambiguity and
vagueness of the internal factors. An original method - FSIF (Fuzzy Synthesis
of Internal Factors) represents a systematic approach that incorporates fuzzy
logic in order to better describe real situation. Proposed FSIF method well
serves the needs of modern Management information system because it provides
monitoring of internal development of an organization through time and also
comparing different organizations taking into account various factors and
weights.
Web service support for collaboration between demographers
Authors: Devedzic Mirjana , Devedzic Vladan , Radenkovic Sonja
Published: June 2012

The paper promotes the use of novel Web services in the daily work and
research of social scientists and other professionals. The case presented in
the paper pertains to demographers and their research, but the technology
used is generic and can be easily instantiated for use by other social
science researchers. Specifically, the case covers facilitating collaboration
between a university research group in the field of demography and
professionals in the field of demographic statistics. The technology used is
a set of new Web services developed as parts of an EU research project. The
paper explains the case itself and the motivation for using the services,
describes the services themselves, and discusses the experience acquired and
the benefits and lessons learned by using the services so far.
LL conflict resolution using the embedded left LR parser
Authors: Slivnik Bostjan
Published: June 2012

A method for resolving LL(k) conflicts using small LR(k) parsers (called
embedded left LR(k) parsers) is described. An embedded left LR(k) parser is
capable of (a) producing the prefix of the left parse of the input string and
(b) stopping not on the end-of-file marker but on any string from the set of
lookahead strings fixed at the parser generation time. The conditions
regarding the termination of the embedded left LR(k) parser if used within
LL(k) (and similar) parsers are defined and examined in-depth. It is proved
that an LL(k) parser augmented with a set of embedded left LR(k) parsers can
parse any deterministic context-free grammar in the same asymptotic time as
LR(k) parser. As the embedded left LR(k) parser produces the prefix of the
left parse, the LL(k) parser augmented with embedded left LR(k) parsers still
produces the left parse and the compiler writer does not need to bother with
different parsing strategies during the compiler implementation.
Analysis of processes of cooperation and knowledge sharing in a community of practice with a diversity of actors
Authors: Tremblay Diane-Gabrielle , Psyché Valéry
Published: June 2012

According to some literature, communities of practice should normally stem
from a voluntary initiative within an organization, whose members share some
knowledge or expertise they wish to improve. However, over time, we have seen
that communities tend to be created within organizations, in order to attain
objectives of learning and knowledge development. This represents a challenge
in the context of a community of practice taking the form of a research
network in partnership that brings together members with common interests
certainly, but spread out in different organizations and even several
countries in which they perform different types of work. Also, the community
does not exist in a vacuum and the explanation for what happens within it
does not lie solely within the way the group interacts; indeed the
individuals are part of different organizations and thus have different
priorities, in relation with these affiliations. In this context, our
research objective was to determine the factors that facilitate or hinder
cooperation within a community of practice composed by two groups of actors,
community and university actors. We thus found that individuals? different
work affiliations might not facilitate the work within the CoP and that
ICT/web 2.0 tools are not always a solution to increase participation in a
CoP. Although participants are somewhat familiar with the tools, they mostly
seem content with receiving and accessing information, not searching for a
more active participation. Some explications and solutions will be proposed.
A systematic approach to the implementation of attribute grammars with conventional compiler construction tools
Authors: Rodríguez-Cerezo Daniel , Sarasa-Cabezuelo Antonio , Sierra José-Luis
Published: June 2012

This article describes structure-preserving coding patterns to code arbitrary
non-circular attribute grammars as syntax-directed translation schemes for
bottom-up and top-down parser generation tools. In these translation schemes,
semantic actions are written in terms of a small repertory of primitive
attribution operations. By providing alternative implementations for these
attribution operations, it is possible to plug in different semantic
evaluation strategies in a seamlessly way (e.g., a demand-driven strategy, or
a data-driven one). The pattern makes possible the direct implementation of
attribute grammar-based specifications with widely-used translation
schemedriven tools for the development of both bottom-up (e.g. YACC, BISON,
CUP) and top-down (e.g., JavaCC, ANTLR) language translators. As a
consequence, initial translation schemes can be successively refined to yield
final efficient implementations. Since these implementations still preserve
the ability to be extended with new features described at the attribute
grammar level, the advantages from the point of view of development and
maintenance become apparent.
A model-based approach for assessment and motivation
Authors: Spector Michael , Kim Chanmin
Published: June 2012

Representations support learning and instruction in many ways. Two key
aspects of representations are discussed in this paper. First we briefly
review the research literature about cognition and processing internal mental
models. The emphasis is on the role that mental models play in critical
reasoning and problem solving. We then present a theoretically-grounded
rationale for taking internal mental representations into account when
designing and implementing support for learning. The emphasis is on
interaction with meaningful problems. Lastly, we present research that has
led to a conceptual framework for integrating models into learning
environments that includes technologies for formative assessment and
motivation.
Frozen transitions to adulthood of young people in Slovenia?
Authors: Kuhar Metka , Reiter Herwig
Published: June 2012

This article reviews key-indicators of youth transitions in Slovenia over the
last decades and highlights some of the inherent tensions. Against the
background of the metaphor of ?frozen transitions?, which tries to grasp some
of the contradictions between the speed of societal change and the stagnating
development of youth towards independence, the article describes and reflects
the development of youth transitions in the three domains of employment,
housing and parenthood. The basis is a selection of indicators available in
international data sets and surveys that allow to trace the change at least
over the last two decades after the breakdown of Yugoslavia. Our findings
indicate that transitions in Slovenia are frozen in all three domains, which
challenges the usefulness of the conventional life course framework for
studying post-communist contexts.
Changes in transition to adulthood of young people in Serbia between 2003 and 2011
Authors: Tomanovic Smiljka
Published: June 2012

The paper deals with transition to adulthood of young people in Serbia
through analysis of findings of the two surveys from 2003 and 2011. The aims
are to explore the changes in pace, as well as in transitional trajectories
that could indicate their destandardisation and individualisation. Some of
the debatable issues related to the transition to adulthood approach are
presented in the framework and discussed further in relation to the results
of the analysis in the concluding section. The findings indicate that there
exists some acceleration in the pace of transition, mainly due to increased
financial independence of young people. The trajectories, however, are still
standardised, while transition is postponed and prolonged. The comparative
analyses of some features of young people?s transitions to adulthood in the
Balkans led to the conclusion that an alternative conceptualization is
needed.
Managing uncertainty of young people's transitions to adulthood in Bulgaria
Authors: Kovacheva Siyka
Published: June 2012

The paper examines the strategies of young people in Bulgaria for responding
to and dealing with uncertainty in the passage to autonomy. It focuses on the
active engagement of the young in the processes of identity formation and
gaining independence, thus initiating a change in the common patterns of
growing up. The biographical choices that the young make are analysed as
embedded in a multilayered social context involving the interplay of macro
societal changes, shifts in organisational policies and practices and
restructuring of gender and generational relations in the family.
Theoretically this paper builds upon the concept of uncertainty in
understanding the dilemma of structure and agency in youth transitions. The
analysis is based upon official statistical information about economic and
demographic trends in 21st century Bulgaria and the findings of an
organisational case study of a social service agency and biographical
interviews with young working parents, which were conducted within the
framework of the international Transitions project. Two case studies of
individual strategies of young women - one from a working class family and
the other from an ethnic minority - are presented in more detail in order to
examine the agency they apply in coping with uncertainty and the resources
they mobilize in devising (everyday and short-term) life projects. The
combination of quantitative and qualitative data allows a reflection on the
process of managing uncertainty with regards to the past experiences, present
meanings and future aspirations of young people as influenced by the
contracting state support and contradictory company policies in Bulgaria.
Social exclusion of the young from the labour market in Bosnia and Herzegovina
Authors: Tomic Velinka
Published: June 2012

The population of young people in Bosnia and Herzegovina is confronted with
many challenges - economic, institutional and social. The participation of
young people in education drops significantly after they turn 18, while entry
into the labour market happens around 20 years of age. Unemployment mostly
affects people with lower education levels, such as those with a secondary
school degree or qualified workers. The youth unemployment rate, the most
commonly used indicator of the disadvantages faced by young people in the
labour market, is very high in Bosnia and Herzegovina. The single most
significant factor affecting the labour market experiences of young people is
the extensive informal economy in the country. Active Labour Market Policy
for young people attempts to reduce the problems faced by young people in
their attempts to find decent work once they enter the labour market. They
attempt to remedy failures of the educational system and to improve the
efficiency of labour market matching. The percentage of unemployed youth is
of great importance because the youth are in the age when the ability and
motivation for work are at their peak. Any society that excludes half of its
population from the sphere of work acts against public interest.
Means of getting ahead in post-socialist Serbia: Perceptions and preferences of young people
Authors: Mojic Dusan
Published: June 2012

Young people?s perceptions and preferences regarding main channels of upward
mobility are very important for integration in every society. After one
decade of blocked post-socialist transformation, political changes in 2000
unblocked the process of transformation of Serbian society, raising young
people?s expectations of the improvement of their social position.
Modernization and democratization of political system, as well as market
reforms of the economic system would definitely make this process more
probable. These reforms, if carried out properly, would enable the activation
of young people and their inclination towards modern and development-oriented
ways of advancement in society. Nevertheless, empirical studies in the last
ten years in Serbia have constantly shown large discrepancy in youth?s
perceived and preferred factors of upward social mobility. Namely, although
education and hard work have been emphasized by young people as the main
preferred means of getting ahead, wealthy origin and political connections
have been, in fact, perceived as the most important factors in this respect
in Serbia during the last decade. Political instability, (still) uncompleted
reform of political and economic system and economic growth without
employment (especially of young people) are the main reasons why half of the
young population has had, more or less, a constant wish to leave Serbia
forever. The main thesis of this paper is that the above-mentioned
discrepancy between preferred and perceived ?social order? represents one of
the key basis of such a way of thinking of young people in Serbia.
Predicting youth apathy and exclusion: Macedonian high-school students and their relations to their communities
Authors: Korunovska-Srbijanko Jana , Korunovska-Avramovska Neda , Maleska Tanja
Published: June 2012

In order to understand the youth?s growing apathy and cynicism towards
society, this paper examines the relationships between civic engagement,
volunteerism, parental support, peer support, the support of the educational
system, extra-curricular activities, religious affiliation, as well as
attitudes among high-school students in the Republic of Macedonia. A
representative sample of 3607 high-school students in thirteen towns across
the country indicates that the support from the educational system,
involvement in extra-curricular activities and trust in institutions, society
and oneself are the strongest predictors of civic engagement and
volunteerism. Parental support (whether respondents engaged in discussions
about civic problems with their parents), while important in the past, loses
its significance in the present. Discussions with peers seem to replace the
role of the parents. Religious affiliation is not meaningfully related to
civic engagement and volunteerism. Theoretical and practical implications in
regard to social integration are discussed.
Self-assessment of the quality of life of children and adolescents in the child welfare system of Serbia
Authors: Damnjanovic Maja , Lakic Aneta , Stevanovic Dejan , Jovanovic Ana , Jancic Jasna , Jovanovic Mirjana , Leposavic Ljubica
Published: June 2012

Background/Aim. Children and adolescents who enter a child welfare system are
at higher risk of suffering from mental disorders, physical health, and/or
social and educational problems than the general population of the same age
is. This study was organized with the aim to evaluate the general
characteristics of quality of life (QOL) in children and adolescents living
in residential and foster care in Serbia. Methods. Two hundred and sixteen
children and adolescents, aged 8-18 years, from residential and foster care
and 238 children and adolescents from the general population participated in
the study. QOL was assessed using the Pediatric Quality of Life Inventory
(PedsQL) - Serbian version. Three groups were created: residential care group
(RCG), foster care group (FCG), and control group (children and adolescents
from biological families - CG). Descriptive data were calculated for all
questionnaires? scores, while t-test and ANOVA were used to compare them.
Results. The mean value of the total PedsQL was lower in the RCG, 67.47 ?
17.75, than in the FCG and the CG, 88.33 ? 11.27 and 80.74 ? 11.23,
respectively. Additionally, the RCG reported lower all PedsQL Scale scores,
but the lowest value was for the psychosocial domain. These differences were
statistically significant (F value ranged from 17.3 to 49.89, p < 0.000).
However, only the scores of the RCG were statistically different from the FCG
and the CG, while the differences between the FCG and the CG were
statistically insignificant (p > 0.05). Conclusion. Children and adolescents
living in residential care have significantly poorer QOL than those living in
foster care or in biological families. On the other side, QOL in children and
adolescents from foster care is similar to the one of those living in
biological families.
Premortal data in the process of skeletal remains identification
Authors: Marinkovic Nadica , Djuric Marija
Published: June 2012

Background/Aim. The basic task of a forensic examiner during the exhumation
of mass graves or in mass accidents is to establish identity of a person. The
results obtained through these procedures depend on the level of
perceptibility of post mortal changes and they are compared with premortal
data obtained from family members of those missing or killed. Experience with
exhumations has shown significant differences between the results obtained
through exhumation and the premortal data. The aim of the study was to
suggest the existance of the difference between premortal data and the
results obtained by exhumation regarding the some parameters, as well as to
direct premortal data colection to the specific skeletal forms. Methods. We
performed comparative analysis of the results of exhumation of skeletal
remains in a mass grave and the premortal data concerning the identified
persons. The least number of individuals in this mass grave was calculated
according to the upper parts of the right femur and it helped in calculating
the smallest number of individuals in mass graves to be 48. A total of 27
persons were identified. Sex was determined by metrics and morphology of the
pelvis. Personal age in the moment of death was determined by morphology
features of groin symphisis and morphology of sternal edge of ribs and other
parts of scelets observations. The hight was calculated as average results of
length of long bones and Rollet coefficients. Results. There was a complete
match in terms of sex and age matched within an interval that could be
established based on the skeletal remains. All the other parameters were
different, however, which made identification significantly more difficult.
Conclusion. The premortal data is an important element of identification
process and it should be obtained by the forensic doctor and directed towards
more detailed examination of the skeletal system.
Tongue mobility in patients with cerebral palsy
Authors: Zivkovic Zorica , Golubovic Slavica
Published: June 2012

Background/Aim. In children with cerebral palsy speech is a big problem.
Speech of these children is more or less understandable, depending on the
degree of reduced mobility of articulatory organs. Reduced mobility is
affected by inability to control facial grimacing and poor muscle strength
when performing targeted movements. The aim of this study was to determine
the mobility of tongue in patients with cerebral palsy. Methods. The study
included a sample of 34 children - patients with cerebral palsy who had been
treated in the Special Hospital for the Cerebral Palsy and Developmental
Neurology in Belgrade. The patients were divided according to the determined
diagnosis into two groups: Quadriparesis spastica (n = 11) and Morbus Little
(n = 16). The children, aged 8-12 years, had preserved intelectual abilities,
and all of them had preserved hearing. The study was conducted during the
period from January to September 2009. The functional state of articulatory
organs in both groups was tested by the C-test that examines the anatomic
structure and mobility of the articulatory organs. Results. Our research
showed that both groups of the patients had impaired functional state of the
tongue - the most mobile articulatory organ. Also, the research showed that
the functional state of the tongue was worse in children diagnosed with
Quadriparesis spastica. A statistically significant correlation between the
diagnosis and the functional state of the tongue, the tongue test performance
and the retention of the tongue in a given position was found (r = 0.594, p <
0.005; r = 0.816, p < 0.01 and r = 0.738, p < 0.001, respectively).
Conclusion. A large percentage of children with cerebral palsy were not able
to establish control over the position of articulatory organs, especially the
tongue, and its retention in a given position, all of which affect the
quality of speech.
Infected total knee arthroplasty treatment outcome analysis
Authors: Radoicic Dragan , Popovic Zoran , Barjaktarovic Radoslav , Marinkovic Jugoslav
Published: June 2012

Background/Aim. Infected total knee arthroplasty (TKA) is a topic of great
importance, because its diagnosing and treatment requires a lot of resources,
and often has an unsatisfactory outcome. The aim of this study was to analyze
the outcome of the treatment of infection developed following TKA. Methods.
This retrospective study of infected TKAs was performed in the period from
1998 to 2008 in the Orthopedics & Traumatology Clinic of the Military Medical
Academy (MMA) in Belgrade. A total of 654 primary and revised TKAs were
performed in the said period. We registered and surgically treated 28
infected TKAs (primary TKAs: MMA - 22, other institutions - 6). The incidence
of TKA infection in the MMA was 3.36%. The most common pathogens were:
Staphylococcus aureus - 14 (50%) cases, and Staph. epidermidis - 3 (10.7%)
cases. Other isolated pathogens were: Enterococcus faecalis, Klebsiella
pneum., Klebsiella spp., Streptoccocus viridans, Seratia spp, Micrococcus
luteus and Peptostreptococcus spp. In one case we had mixed anaerobic flora,
and in 3 cases cultures were negative. We analyzed diagnostic challenges,
risk factors (such as age and previous viscosupplementation) and treatment
outcomes in our series of infected TKAs. Results. In our series 2 infections
healed after iv antibiotics and debridement, 1 patient responded to open
debridement with component retention, 4 patients responded fully to one-stage
reimplantation, 10 cases responded fully to two-stage reimplantation, 11
patients ended with arthrodesis and we had 1 patient with above knee
amputation. Conclusion. Two-stage reimplantation remains gold standard for
treatment of infected TKA, and we recommend it as treatment of choice for
eradication of infection. The antibiotic loaded spacer prothesis concept in
most cases allows infection eradication, good function and high patient
satisfaction.
Life-saving percutaneous coronary interventions on the unprotected left main coronary artery in patients with acute coronary syndrome in the catheterization laboratory without cardiosurgical back-up
Authors: Salinger-Martinovic Sonja , Perisic Zoran , Weber Michael , Apostolovic Svetlana , Zivkovic Milan , Damjanovic Miodrag , Bozinovic Nenad , Kostic Tomislav
Published: June 2012

Introduction. The optimal revascularization strategy for unprotected left
main coronary disease (ULMCD) is the subject of ongoing debate and patients
with ULMCD still represent a challenge for interventionalist, especially in
the setting of an acute coronary syndome (ACS). Case report. We presented two
cases of percutaneous treatment of ULMCD in the settings of ACS (ST Segment
Myocardial Infarction and Non ST Segment Myocardial Infarction - STEMI and
NSTEMI) in a catheterization laboratory without back-up of cardiosurgical
department. Both patients were hemodynamically unstable with clinical signs
of cardiogenic shock. Coronary angiography revealed left main thromobosis and
using intra-aortic balloon pump as hemodynamic support primary angioplasty
procedures were performed. Immediately after the procedures the patients
hemodynamically improved and remained stable till discharge from hospital.
Conclusion. Percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) has become the most
common strategy of revascularization in ACS patients with ULMCD and is
generally preferred in patients with multiple comorbidities and/or in very
unstable patients. In cases with no cardiosurgical departments PCI is an
inevitable, bail-out, life saving procedure.
Whipple's disease: A case report
Authors: Popovic Dusan , Spuran Milan , Jovanovic Ivan , Alempijevic Tamara , Djuranovic Srdjan , Kovacevic Nada , Micev Marjan , Krstic Miodrag
Published: June 2012

Introduction. Whipple's disease is a chronic, multisystem, infectious disease
caused by Tropheryma whipplei. It most commonly affects Caucasian males,
middle-aged. Morbus Whipple is primarily gastrointestinal disease, manifested
as malabsorption syndrome, and diagnosed by endoscopy and intestinal biopsy.
Extraintestinal manifestations are not rare. Case report. A 48-year-old male
was admitted due to diarrhea, weight loss and weakness in the extremities.
Physical examination findings pointed out diffuse hyperpigmentation, pleural
effusion and leg edema. Anemia, inflammatory syndrome and malabsorption signs
were discovered through laboratory tests. The diagnosis was confirmed by
intestinal biopsy. The patient was treated with antibiotic and symptomatic
therapy. After 9 months, the patient had no symptoms, and clinical and
laboratory findings were regular. Conclusion. Whipple's disease is a rare
disease. A high degree of clinical suspicion for the disease (malabsorption,
arthritis, fever, neurological symptoms) is the most important for diagnosis.
Timely diagnosis and appropriate therapy prevent the disease progression and
fatal outcome.
Could it have been better? A patient with peripartum cardiomyopathy treated with conventional therapy
Authors: Ivanovic Branislava , Tadic Marijana , Maksimovic Ruzica , Orbovic Bojana
Published: June 2012

Introduction. Peripartum cardiomyopathy is a life threatening condition of
unknown cause that occurs in previously healthy women. It is characterized by
symptoms of heart failure due to left ventricular dysfunction that occurs in
the last month of pregnancy or the first five months after delivery. Case
report. We presented woman who underwent caesarean section due to
preeclampsia. Two weeks after delivery first signs of heart failure appeared
and only after six weeks following the onset of symptoms peripartal
cardiomyopathy was recognized. A conventional treatment with diuretics, ACE
inhibitor and beta blocker along with anticoagulant therapy was applied,
which resulted in a complete recovery of the left ventricular function four
months after. Conclusion. Timely detection and initiation of treatment are an
important precondition for the complete or partial recovery.
Imagining a Socialist, Democratic and Secular Society through Possibilities of a Common School System in India
Authors: Kumar Ravi
Published: June 2012

A Common School System (CSS) had been a long-standing demand in Indian educational discourse since it was recommended in 1966 by the Education Commission. Those who saw the state as an agency of welfarism invoked its implementation on the grounds that it would have allowed equity in education and would have taken care of inequity in the larger society, apart from ensuring a more democratic society and polity. However, recent neoliberal policy changes in the country have demolished even that welfarist imagination of a capitalist state. The article is of the view that it is the rule of capital which is at the heart of injustice and inequality in contemporary Indian education. It also argues that democracy and socialism through a Common School System can be achieved only when there is a radical social transformation, but that it does not allow us to cease efforts towards making education more equitable and accessible for all.
Photosynthesis and Yellow Vine Syndrome of American Cranberry
Authors: Hou Harvey J. M.
Published: June 2012

The American cranberry (Vaccinium macrocarpon Ait.) contains rich antioxidants and has significant health benefits in fighting a variety of human diseases. In the past ten years, cranberry growers have reported yellow vine syndrome, which is associated with reduced photosynthetic performance, in the cranberry bogs. It has been found that the yellow vine syndrome of cranberry is associated with nutritional imbalance; it might be an issue for cranberry quality and food security as well as the crop production. This review evaluates the present state of knowledge of yellow vine syndrome, together with recent advances that are resulting from an improved mechanistic understanding and a possible solution that will be of considerable value to cranberry growers. This review also includes results from the author’s own laboratory. Water stress, nutritional imbalance, and photoinhibition are the likely reasons for producing yellow vine of cranberry. Future endeavors should be placed on the combination of genetic, biochemical, and biophysical techniques at the molecular level and plant physiology at the field and greenhouse level. This may provide specific information in order to understand the molecular details of yellow vine of cranberry as well as a tool for guiding future breeding efforts and management practices.