bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Teaching XML in a web development context
Authors: Paterson James H. , McCormick Frances , Creechan Gerry
Published: October 2006

This poster illustrates the way in which XML has been introduced in the context of a web development course. XML is an increasingly important technology with applications across a range of fields. It is therefore highly desirable that students gain meaningful exposure to this technology within the computing curriculum.The wide applicability of XML allows its concepts to be taught in a way which supports learning of specific topics in computer science. For example, the use of XML has been reported in courses on compilers[1] and computing theory[2].The main concepts of XML include: basic syntax; well-formed documents; valid documents with DTD and XML Schema; parsing and DOM; transformations with XSLT. Since the concepts involved in XML are essentially orthogonal to its applications, it is important that a strong context is provided to demonstrate these concepts. The programme within which we teach XML has a strong web development theme, so it seems appropriate to introduce it within this context. The approach we have taken is to study the various capabilities that XML provides to the web developer for content syndication and management, and for using and creating web services.The web development module within which XML is taught deals primarily with server-side scripting for dynamic web pages using ColdFusion. The structure of the XML content is as follows:

Introduction to XML, comparison with HTML

Creating well-formed and valid documents

XSL transformations to produce web pages, with applications to RSS and ATOM

Content syndication and newsfeeds

Creating XML content from databases

Content management systems

Consuming and creating Web Services, SOAP and WSDL

Experience in teaching this material suggests that the emphasis on practical and relevant applications within the web development context helps students to connect with the technology. Unless this connection is made, they often find that the concepts they are learning are rather abstract and that it is difficult to "see the point" of XML.The poster presentation will illustrate the tools and activities used in the course, together with examples of student work and evaluation of the approach taken. Further materials are available at http://hamilton.bell.ac.uk/teachingxml.
Teaching to analyze solutions using FGA
Authors: Bass Ilana , Lanzberg Dvir
Published: October 2006

In this poster we introduce a problem encountered in "Data Structures" course: The difficulties students meet when they try to evaluate their own solutions. We present a tool we use to solve this problem.
Two possible approaches for an intermediate GUI course
Authors: Pais Rui , Barros João Paulo
Published: October 2006

This poster presents the main pros and cons of two approaches for introducing intermediate students to the use of a complex class library in the context of Graphical User Interface programming. The approaches use different programming languages, integrated programming environments, and frameworks. The frameworks are used mainly for the development of application program interfaces for graphical user interfaces. These are useful in latter courses and are also important for student motivation.
The difficult art of pruning in favour of creative thinking
Authors: Massarelli Riccardo
Published: October 2006

The poster deals with the issue of creativity as one of the skills the students need to develop and master. The poster is based on two assumptions: 1) the traditional teaching method, generally speaking, tends to favour convergent thinking over divergent thinking; 2) the use of web based systems for teaching and learning may weaken the students' comprehension process. The poster describes the experience carried out as a tutor to support students attending Computer Science courses at the Facoltá di Economia (University of Bologna Sede di Rimini), where basic topics are taught with a project learning approach. The students, divided into groups (of 2 to 5 each), are asked to develop projects with Microsoft ACCESS and the tutor often meets them to discuss both design problems and code problems. Whenever students report their difficulties or doubts they offer the tutor a good opportunity. As lopper does with trees, the tutor can prune the dry branches of their wrong and too conventional solutions to make the tree of their creative thinking grow better. From this point of view the ability of the tutor becomes really crucial.
Complex analysis in computer graphics course
Authors: Nodelman Vladimir , Haberman Bruria
Published: October 2006

This presentation describes our experience in computer graphics teaching.
Learning technical concepts with collaboration and communication skills
Authors: Granger Mary J.
Published: October 2006

This presentation describes a method for improving technical skills at the same time as collaboration and communication skills.
Iterative implementation of DFS
Authors: Bass Ilana , Lanzberg Dvir
Published: October 2006

In this paper, we emphasize that a separation between the definition and the implementations of a data structure is not obvious. Both teachers and textbooks authors must be aware of this fact and prepare the learning material accordingly. We find that the exercise presented below helps the students understand this difference.
Managing the complexity in first year programming
Authors: Hovis Robert A.
Published: October 2006

In this paper, we describe a method for managing the complexity in CS2.
BRaiN research network
Authors: Pisa Ricardo , Ferreira Vasco , Jesus Elisabete , Carlos Bruno
Published: October 2006

One of the main problems of any research team, working in health case studies, is to find a significant number of eligible patients for that specific research. Most of these patients' selection is based on their clinical files, clinical history, possible examinations and/or evaluations made to them during their time of infirmity. Most of the times, this information, is dispersed and inaccurate, so the tendency is for it to be lost. In some cases the information is not accessible at all.The main objective of the BRaiN project is to create an infrastructure capable of helping research teams' work in the field of neurology/neuropsychology and multiple sclerosis.Partly, this help comes from the development of a working methodology that takes advantage of the tools and capabilities offered by system.
Ethical engagement with data collection efforts related to fighting terrorists and terrorism in the context of recent events
Authors: Pohlhaus William
Published: October 2006

This poster discusses the problems with collection of data on citizens for the protection of the public. In particular, it focuses on the problems of misinformation, lack accountability and anonymity of those who collect such information.
Why use an open source e-voting system?
Authors: Penha-Lopes Joana Matos
Published: October 2006

All voting systems, electronic or manual, are prone to flaws. Which is best, open or closed e-voting?
Test-first pair-programming tutorial
Authors: Bergin Joseph , Wallingford Eugene
Published: October 2006

This hands-on tutorial covers two practices of Extreme Programming (XP): Test-First programming and Test-Driven Development. It focuses on the deeper aspects of these practices, including how they affect productivity.
LEGO robots and AI
Authors: Kumar Amruth N.
Published: October 2006

This tutorial will present how instructors can incorporate LEGO robots into their AI course with minimal time, effort, and resource commitment. The tutorial will: 1) cover the principles behind using robots for knowledge-based, open-laboratory projects; 2) share the design and details of several projects; 3) work the participants through sample solutions to a few of the projects, preferably hands-on; and finally, 4) discuss alternatives to LEGO and knowledge-based projects in AI. Participants will be able to apply the tutorial materials immediately to their AI course.
Scratching the surface
Authors: Rowell Laurie
Published: October 2006

Prototypes of hand-controlled, projected-image "surface computing" systems constitute a complete re-imagining of the personal computer
Field-sensitive value analysis of embedded C programs with union types and pointer arithmetics
Authors: Miné Antoine
Published: October 2006

We propose a memory abstraction able to lift existing numerical static analyses to C programs containing union types, pointer casts, and arbitrary pointer arithmetics. Our framework is that of a combined points-to and data-value analysis. We abstract the contents of compound variables in a field-sensitive way, whether these fields contain numeric or pointer values, and use stock numerical abstract domains to find an overapproximation of all possible memory states---with the ability to discover relationships between variables. A main novelty of our approach is the dynamic mapping scheme we use to associate a flat collection of abstract cells of scalar type to the set of accessed memory locations, while taking care of byte-level aliases---
i.e.,
C variables with incompatible types allocated in overlapping memory locations. We do not rely on static type information which can be misleading in C programs as it does not account for all the uses a memory zone may be put to.Our work was incorporated within the A
strée
static analyzer that checks for the absence of run-time-errors in embedded, safety-critical, numerical-intensive software. It replaces the former memory domain limited to well-typed, union-free, pointer-cast free data-structures. Early results demonstrate that this abstraction allows analyzing a larger class of C programs, without much cost overhead.
BOTS
Authors: Pandey Raju , Wu Jeffrey
Published: October 2006

Embedded application developers create applications for a wide range of devices with different resource constraints. Developers want to maximize the use of the limited resources available on the device while still not exceeding the capabilities of the device. To do this, the developer must be able to scale his software for different platforms. In this paper, we present a software engineering methodology that automatically scales software to different platforms. We intend to have the application developer write high level functional specifications of his software and have tools that automatically scale the underlying runtime. These tools will use the functional and non-functional constraints of both the hardware and client application to produce an appropriate runtime. Our initial results show that the proposed approach can scale operating systems and virtual machines that satisfy the constraints of varying hardware/application combinations.
Delimited dynamic binding
Authors: Kiselyov Oleg , Shan Chung-chieh , Sabry Amr
Published: October 2006

Dynamic binding and
delimited
control are useful together in many settings, including Web applications, database cursors, and mobile code. We examine this pair of language features to show that the semantics of their interaction is ill-defined yet not expressive enough for these uses.We solve this open and subtle problem. We formalise a typed language DB+DC that combines a calculus DB of dynamic binding and a calculus DC of delimited control. We argue from theoretical and practical points of view that its semantics should be based on
delimited dynamic binding
: capturing a delimited continuation closes over
part
of the dynamic environment, rather than all or none of it; reinstating the captured continuation
supplements
the dynamic environment, rather than replacing or inheriting it. We introduce a type- and reduction-preserving translation from DB + DC to DC, which proves that delimited control
macro-expresses
dynamic binding. We use this translation to implement DB+DC in Scheme, OCaml, and Haskell.We extend DB + DC with mutable dynamic variables and a facility to obtain not only the latest binding of a dynamic variable but also older bindings. This facility provides for stack inspection and (more generally) folding over the execution context as an inductive data structure.
Polymorphism and separation in hoare type theory
Authors: Nanevski Aleksandar , Morrisett Greg , Birkedal Lars
Published: October 2006

In previous work, we proposed a
Hoare Type Theory
(HTT) which combines effectful higher-order functions, dependent types and Hoare Logic specifications into a unified framework. However, the framework did not support polymorphism, and ailed to provide a modular treatment of state in specifications. In this paper, we address these shortcomings by showing that the addition of polymorphism alone is sufficient for capturing modular state specifications in the style of Separation Logic. Furthermore, we argue that polymorphism is an essential ingredient of the extension, as the treatment of higher-order functions requires operations not encodable via the spatial connectives of Separation Logic.
Static analysis for syntax objects
Authors: Fisher David , Shivers Olin
Published: October 2006

We describe an s-expression based syntax-extension framework much like Scheme macros, with a key additional facility: the ability to define static semantics, such as type systems or program analysis, for the new, user-defined forms or embedded languages, thus allowing us to construct "towers" of language levels. In addition, the static semantics of the languages at two adjacent levels in the tower can be connected, allowing improved reasoning power at a higher (and perhaps more restricted) level to be reflected down to the static semantics of the language level below. We demonstrate our system by designing macros for an assembly language, together with some example static analyses (termination analysis, type inference and control-flow analysis).
Mechanized meta-reasoning using a hybrid HOAS/de bruijn representation and reflection
Authors: Hickey Jason , Nogin Aleksey , Yu Xin , Kopylov Alexei
Published: October 2006

We investigate the development of a general-purpose framework for mechanized reasoning about the meta-theory of programming languages. In order to provide a standard, uniform account of a programming language, we propose to define it as a logic in a logical framework, using the same mechanisms for definition, reasoning, and automation that are available to other logics. Then, in order to reason about the language's meta-theory, we use reflection to inject the programming language into (usually richer and more expressive) meta-theory.One of the key features of our approach is that structure of the language is preserved when it is reflected, including variables, meta-variables, and binding structure. This allows the structure of proofs to be preserved as well, and there is a one-to-one map from proof steps in the original programming logic to proof steps in the reflected logic. The act of reflecting a language is automated; all definitions, theorems, and proofs are preserved by the transformation and all the key lemmas (such as proof and structural induction) are automatically derived.The principal representation used by the reflected logic is higher-order abstract syntax (HOAS). However, reasoning about terms in HOAS can be awkward in some cases, especially for variables. For this reason, we define a computationally equivalent variable-free de Bruijn representation that is interchangeable with the HOAS in all contexts. The de Bruijn representation inherits the properties of substitution and alpha-equality from the logical framework, and it is not complicated by administrative issues like variable renumbering.We further develop the concepts and principles of proofs, provability, and structural and proof induction. This work is fully implemented in the MetaPRL theorem prover. We illustrate with an application to F<: as defined in the POPLmark challenge.
Further evidence on shareholder wealth effects of announcements for newly created CIO positions
Authors: Guan Liming , Sutton Steve G. , Chang C. Janie , Arnold Vicky
Published: October 2006

Chatterjee, Richardson and Zmud (2001) provided evidence of abnormal stock returns associated with the announcements of new CIO positions, indicating a positive reaction in the stock market to the announcements. However, an examination of the behavior of analysts who follow the firms used in the Chatterjee et al. sample finds that just over 50% of the firms actually had analysts regularly following them; and the vast majority either reflected no changes in earnings forecasts or experienced a downward adjustment. A systematic reexamination of the results reveals the following: (1) firms not tracked by analysts demonstrate positive abnormal returns at the event date; (2) Chatterjee et al.'s findings of positive abnormal returns from new CIO position announcements appear to be driven by the sub-sample of firms not tracked by analysts; (3) analyst tracked firms generally do not yield abnormal returns at the event date but they do exhibit abnormal returns in the days before the announcement indicating analysts may be using leaked information from management; and (4) despite apparently disclosing private information from management to their clients, analysts do not disclose this information through revisions of earnings forecasts. Overall, our results significantly strengthen the understanding of the phenomenon while further supporting Chatterjee et al.'s conclusion that new CIO position announcements are important to the capital markets.
Object-oriented cohesion subjectivity amongst experienced and novice developers
Authors: Counsell Steve , Swift Stephen , Tucker Allan , Mendes Emilia
Published: October 2006

The concept of software cohesion in both the procedural and object-oriented paradigm is well known and documented. What is not so well known or documented is the perception of what empirically constitutes a cohesive 'unit' by software engineers. In this paper, we describe an empirical investigation using object-oriented (OO) classes as a basis. Twenty-four subjects (drawn from IT experienced and novice groups) were asked to rate ten classes sampled from two industrial systems in terms of their overall cohesiveness; a class environment was used to carry out the study. Three hypotheses were investigated as part of the study, relating to class size, the role of comment lines and the differences between the two groups in terms of how they rated cohesion. Several key results were observed. Firstly, class size (when expressed in terms of number of methods) only influenced the perception of cohesion by novice subjects. Secondly, well-commented classes were rated more highly amongst IT experienced than novice subjects. Thirdly, results suggest strongly that cohesion comprises a combination of various class factors including low coupling, small numbers of attributes and well-commented methods, rather than any single, individual class feature
per se
. Finally, if the research supports the view that cohesion is a subjective concept reflecting a cognitive combination of class features then cohesion is also a surrogate for class comprehension.
A compiler for variational forms
Authors: Kirby Robert C. , Logg Anders
Published: October 2006

As a key step towards a complete automation of the finite element method, we present a new algorithm for automatic and efficient evaluation of multilinear variational forms. The algorithm has been implemented in the form of a compiler, the FEniCS Form Compiler (FFC). We present benchmark results for a series of standard variational forms, including the incompressible Navier--Stokes equations and linear elasticity. The speedup compared to the standard quadrature-based approach is impressive; in some cases the speedup is as large as a factor of 1000.
Decentralized user authentication in a global file system
Authors: Kaminsky Michael , Savvides George , Mazieres David , Kaashoek M. Frans
Published: October 2006

The challenge for user authentication in a global file system is allowing people to grant access to specific users and groups in remote administrative domains, without assuming any kind of pre-existing administrative relationship. The traditional approach to user authentication across administrative domains is for users to prove their identities through a chain of certificates. Certificates allow for general forms of delegation, but they often require more infrastructure than is necessary to support a network file system.This paper introduces an approach without certificates. Local authentication servers pre-fetch and cache remote user and group definitions from remote authentication servers. During a file access, an authentication server can establish identities for users based just on local information. This approach is particularly well-suited to file systems, and it provides a simple and intuitive interface that is similar to those found in local access control mechanisms. An implementation of the authentication server and a file server supporting access control lists demonstrate the viability of this design in the context of the Self-certifying File System (SFS). Experiments demonstrate that the authentication server can scale to groups with tens of thousands of members.
Capriccio
Authors: von Behren Rob , Condit Jeremy , Zhou Feng , Necula George C. , Brewer Eric
Published: October 2006

This paper presents Capriccio, a scalable thread package for use with high-concurrency servers. While recent work has advocated event-based systems, we believe that thread-based systems can provide a simpler programming model that achieves equivalent or superior performance.By implementing Capriccio as a user-level thread package, we have decoupled the thread package implementation from the underlying operating system. As a result, we can take advantage of cooperative threading, new asynchronous I/O mechanisms, and compiler support. Using this approach, we are able to provide three key features: (1) scalability to 100,000 threads, (2) efficient stack management, and (3) resource-aware scheduling.We introduce
linked stack management
, which minimizes the amount of wasted stack space by providing safe, small, and non-contiguous stacks that can grow or shrink at run time. A compiler analysis makes our stack implementation efficient and sound. We also present
resource-aware scheduling
, which allows thread scheduling and admission control to adapt to the system's current resource usage. This technique uses a
blocking graph
that is automatically derived from the application to describe the flow of control between blocking points in a cooperative thread package. We have applied our techniques to the Apache 2.0.44 web server, demonstrating that we can achieve high performance and scalability despite using a simple threaded programming model.
Inhibition of Mammalian Target of Rapamycin or Apoptotic Pathway Induces Autophagy and Radiosensitizes PTEN Null Prostate Cancer Cells
Authors: Cao Carolyn , Subhawong Ty , Albert Jeffrey M. , Kim Kwang Woon , Geng Ling , Sekhar Konjeti R. , Gi Young Jin , Lu Bo
Published: October 2006

The phosphatidylinositol 3-kinase/Akt pathway plays a critical role in oncogenesis, and dysregulation of this pathway through loss of PTEN suppression is a particularly common phenomenon in aggressive prostate cancers. The mammalian target of rapamycin (mTOR) is a downstream signaling kinase in this pathway, exerting prosurvival influence on cells through the activation of factors involved in protein synthesis. The mTOR inhibitor rapamycin and its derivatives are cytotoxic to a number of cell lines. Recently, mTOR inhibition has also been shown to radiosensitize endothelial and breast cancer cells in vitro. Because radiation is an important modality in the treatment of prostate cancer, we tested the ability of the mTOR inhibitor RAD001 (everolimus) to enhance the cytotoxic effects of radiation on two prostate cancer cell lines, PC-3 and DU145. We found that both cell lines became more vulnerable to irradiation after treatment with RAD001, with the PTEN-deficient PC-3 cell line showing the greater sensitivity. This increased susceptibility to radiation is associated with induction of autophagy. Furthermore, we show that blocking apoptosis with caspase inhibition and Bax/Bak small interfering RNA in these cell lines enhances radiation-induced mortality and induces autophagy. Together, these data highlight the emerging importance of mTOR as a molecular target for therapeutic intervention, and lend support to the idea that nonapoptotic modes of cell death may play a crucial role in improving tumor cell kill. (Cancer Res 2006; 66(20): 10040-7)
Correction for chromosome-17 is critical for the determination of true Her-2/neu gene amplification status in breast cancer
Authors: Dal Lago Lissandra , Durbecq Virginie , Desmedt Christine , Salgado Roberto , Verjat Thibault , Lespagnard Laurence , Ma Yan , Veys Isabelle , Di Leo Angelo , Sotiriou Christos , Piccart Martine , Larsimont Denis
Published: October 2006

Purpose: Trastuzumab is the cornerstone for treatment of women with HER2-overexpressing breast cancer, both in the adjuvant and in the metastatic settings. The accurate assessment of HER2 is, therefore, critical to identifying patients who may benefit from trastuzumab-based therapy. This project aimed to determine the optimal scoring method for fluorescence in situ hybridization (FISH) assay. Methods: FISH assay was done on 893 samples of breast cancer. Three scoring methods were evaluated: Her2/CEP17≥2, Her2>4, or Her2>6. Protein and gene expression were evaluated by immunohistochemistry (n = 584) and mRNA/assay/nucleic acid sequence–based amplification (NASBA; n = 90). Results: Samples were divided into five groups based on FISH results: disomic amplified and nonamplified, polysomic amplified, nonamplified, and discordant (10.8% of cases, mostly positive with Her2>4 scoring, but negative with the others). Her2/CEP17≥2 and Her2>6 scoring methods showed the best association (a) with regard to FISH scoring (κ = 0.906, P < 10−6) and (b) between FISH and immunohistochemistry (3+ as positive; κ > 0.650, P < 10−6) or NASBA (κ > 0.536, P < 10−6). Polysomy had an effect on Her2 copy number (P < 10−6), but had no effect on protein and mRNA content. Therefore, within the discordant subgroup, for which additive Her-2 gene copies are due to high polysomy, protein and mRNA levels were similar to those of the nonamplified samples. For this subgroup, the best concordance between FISH/immunohistochemistry/NASBA was observed with the Her2/CEP17 ratio and Her-2>6 scoring (68% and 58% perfect matches, respectively). No perfect matches were observed using the Her2>4 scoring method. Conclusion: Correction for chromosome-17 is the method of choice for clinical practice; Her-2>6, but not Her-2>4, could be used as an alternative. [Mol Cancer Ther 2006;5(10):2572–9]
Comparing Aurora A and Aurora B as molecular targets for growth inhibition of pancreatic cancer cells
Authors: Warner Steven L. , Munoz Ruben M. , Stafford Phillip , Koller Erich , Hurley Laurence H. , Von Hoff Daniel D. , Han Haiyong
Published: October 2006

To address the increased need to understand the similarities and differences in targeting Aurora A or Aurora B for the treatment of cancer, we systematically evaluated the relative importance of Aurora A and/or Aurora B as molecular targets using antisense oligonucleotides. It was found that perturbations in Aurora A and Aurora B signaling result in growth arrest and apoptosis preferentially in cancer cells. The biological fingerprints of Aurora A and Aurora B inhibition were compared and contrasted in efforts to identify the superior therapeutic target. Due to the different biological responses, we conclude that each Aurora kinase should be treated as autonomous drug targets, which can be targeted independently or in combination. We observed no advantages to targeting both kinases simultaneously and feel that an Aurora A–targeted therapy may have some beneficial consequences over an Aurora B–targeted therapy, such as mitotic arrest and the rapid induction of apoptosis. [Mol Cancer Ther 2006;5(10):2450–8]
Differing effects of microtubule depolymerizing and stabilizing chemotherapeutic agents on t-SNARE–mediated apical targeting of prostate-specific membrane antigen
Authors: Christiansen Jason J. , Weimbs Thomas , Bander Neil , Rajasekaran Ayyappan K.
Published: October 2006

Prostate-specific membrane antigen (PSMA) is a protein up-regulated in the vast majority of prostate cancers. Antibodies to PSMA have proved highly specific for prostate cancer cells, and the therapeutic potential of such antibodies is currently being assessed in clinical trials. We have previously shown that PSMA at the cell surface of polarized epithelial cells is predominantly expressed at the apical plasma membrane and that microtubule depolymerization abolishes apical PSMA targeting. In the current report, we implicate a functional role for a target membrane soluble N-ethylmaleimide-sensitive factor adaptor protein receptor, syntaxin 3, in the microtubule-dependent apical targeting of PSMA. PSMA and syntaxin 3 are similarly localized to the apical plasma membrane of the prostatic epithelium and Madin-Darby canine kidney cells. Introduction of a point mutation into syntaxin 3 abolishes its polarized distribution and causes PSMA to be targeted in a nonpolarized fashion. Additionally, treatment of polarized Madin-Darby canine kidney cells with vinblastine, a microtubule depolymerizing chemotherapeutic agent, causes both syntaxin 3 and PSMA to redistribute in a nonpolarized fashion. However, following treatment with the microtubule stabilizing chemotherapeutic agent Taxotere, both syntaxin 3 and PSMA continue to localize in a polarized manner at the apical plasma membrane. Thus, microtubule depolymerizing and stabilizing chemotherapeutic drugs might exact similar cytotoxic effects but have disparate effects on protein targeting. This phenomenon might have important clinical implication, especially related to antibody-mediated immunotherapy, and could potentially be exploited for therapeutic benefit. [Mol Cancer Ther 2006;5(10):2468–73]
Sensitization of B16 tumor cells with a CXCR4 antagonist increases the efficacy of immunotherapy for established lung metastases
Authors: Lee Chih-hung , Kakinuma Takashi , Wang Julia , Zhang Hong , Palmer Douglas C. , Restifo Nicholas P. , Hwang Sam T.
Published: October 2006

Expression of the chemokine receptor CXCR4 by tumor cells promotes metastasis, possibly by activating prosurvival signals that render cancer cells resistant to immune attack. Inhibition of CXCR4 with a peptide antagonist, T22, blocks metastatic implantation of CXCR4-transduced B16 (CXCR4-luc-B16) melanoma cells in lung, but not the outgrowth of established metastases, raising the question of how T22 can best be used in a clinical setting. Herein, whereas the treatment of CXCR4-luc-B16 cells in vitro with the CXCR4 ligand CXCL12 did not reduce killing induced by cisplatin or cyclophosphamide, CXCL12 markedly reduced Fas-dependent killing by gp100-specific (pmel-1) CD8+ T cells. T22 pretreatment restored sensitivity of CXCR4-luc-B16 cells to pmel-1 killing, even in the presence of CXCL12. Two immune-augmenting regimens were used in combination with T22 to treat experimental lung metastases. First, low-dose cyclophosphamide treatment (100 mg/kg) on day 5 in combination with T22 (days 4–7) yielded a ∼70% reduction of B16 metastatic tumor burden in the lungs compared with cyclophosphamide treatment alone (P < 0.001). Furthermore, whereas anti–CTL antigen 4 (CTLA4) monoclonal antibody (mAb; or T22 treatment) alone had little effect on established B16 metastases, pretreatment with T22 (in combination with anti-CTLA4 mAb) resulted in a 50% reduction in lung tumor burden (P = 0.02). Thus, in vitro, CXCR4 antagonism with T22 renders B16 cells susceptible to killing by antigen-specific T cells. In vivo, T22 synergizes with cyclophosphamide or anti-CTLA4 mAb in the treatment of established lung metastases, suggesting a novel strategy for augmenting the efficacy of immunotherapy. [Mol Cancer Ther 2006;5(10):2592–9]
Finite-Element Modeling of Posterior Lamellar Keratoplasty: Construction of Theoretical Nomograms for Induced Refractive Errors
Authors: Djotyan Gagik P. , Soong H. Kaz , Mian Shahzad , Fernández Delia C. , Kurtz Ronald M. , Juhasz Tibor
Published: October 2006

Purpose: To estimate the theoretical corneal refractive error induced by mechanical weakening effects from posterior lamellar keratoplasty (PLKP) in the human cornea. Methods: The refractive effects of PLKP are simulated by finite-element modeling (FEM) as a mathematical function of the thickness of the excised posterior lamellar corneal button, with a nonlinear formulation of stress-strain relation for the corneal material. A theoretical nomogram was developed to correlate the refractive changes to button thickness. Results: The predicted refractive change after PLKP is less than 1 dpt for a 170-µm thickness posterior corneal button over a broad range of Young’s modulus.Thicker buttons result in greater surgically induced refractive errors. Conclusions: According to FEM analysis, the excision of a posterior lamellar button of less than 170 µm thickness produces a minimal predicted refractive change (<1 dpt) in the cornea after PLKP.
How Open Should the Door Be? – Declarations by non-States Parties under Article 12(3) of the Rome Statute of the International Criminal Court
Authors: Freeland Steven
Published: October 2006

Article 12(3) of the Rome Statute provides a mechanism for a non-State Party to accept the jurisdiction of the International Criminal Court by lodging a declaration with the Registrar. In doing so, that State agrees to take on obligations of cooperation with the Court that it would otherwise not be under. There have already been declarations lodged by two States and the possibility exists that this mechanism may be utilized more frequently than had been originally envisaged. Yet, the procedures that have followed these two declarations have taken different paths, with one situation being the subject of judicial scrutiny at an early juncture while the other remains at the preliminary evaluation stage without any judicial involvement. These differences are not wholly explained by the different factual circumstances, but are also due to the uncertain language in the legal texts. This article discusses the ambiguities that surround the declaration mechanism under the terms of the Statute and the other legal texts, focusing in particular on the procedural questions that arise from the lodging of a declaration as well as the scope to which the non-State Party can restrict the terms of a declaration. Although it would be preferable to address these ambiguities by way of amendment to the texts, this might not be a politically acceptable approach at this early stage in the Court's activities. This article therefore offers some suggestions as to how to deal with the uncertainties within the Statute as they relate to the declaration mechanism on the basis of the existing provisions.
Sovereignty, Indian Gaming, and Economic Development on the Lake Traverse Reservation of the Sisseton-Wahpeton Sioux Tribe (Oyate)
Authors: Janisch Roy F.
Published: October 2006

This study analyzes Indian gaming in South Dakota—specifically, that of the Sisseton-Wahpeton Sioux Tribe (SWST)—via library material, telephone and taped interviews, nonparticipant/participant observation, newspaper and administrative reports, and public law statutes. Questions were developed, pretested, and applied to form a gaming narrative or voice of the SWST and its constituency. The article argues that tribes must define, exert, and use their political sovereignty to engage in positive, effective, and sustainable aspects of self-determination. Through the lens deemed most appropriate for the tribe, the SWST plays a vital role in overall economic development on and off the reservation. To be effective, the tribe must be the principal actor for positive economic development, the catalyst for recruiting outside enterprises, and the regulator/monitor of a positive economic development initiative and must develop/maintain the ability to define its organizational structures and engage in those day-to-day activities that advance overall tribal economic development policies and activities.
Cervical Carotid Revascularization: The Case for Carotid Angioplasty with Stenting
Authors: Hanel Ricardo A. , Levy Elad I. , Hopkins L. Nelson
Published: October 2006

CAROTID ARTERY ANGIOPLASTY with or without stent placement has evolved as an alternative to carotid endarterectomy, particularly for those patients in whom carotid endarterectomy is associated with a higher risk of complications. This article summarizes the selection criteria for participation in and the results of several carotid intervention trials, reviews the relative indications and limitations for both surgical and endovascular revascularization approaches, and describes the technique for and results associated with carotid stenting. The discussion is presented from the vantage of neurosurgeons who are experienced in both revascularization approaches.
Recent Steps Toward A Reconstructive Endovascular Solution for the Orphaned, Complex-Neck Aneurysm
Authors: Nelson Peter K. , Sahlein Daniel , Shapiro Maksim , Becske Tibor , Fitzsimmons Brian-Fred , Huang Paul , Jafar Jafar J. , Levy David I.
Published: October 2006

OBJECTIVE:

The purposes of this article are to summarize recent developments and concerns in endovascular aneurysm therapy leading to the adjunctive use of endoluminal devices, to review the published literature on stent-supported coil embolization of cerebral aneurysms, and to describe our experience with this technique in a limited subgroup of problematic complex aneurysms over a medium-term follow-up period.

METHODS:

Between January 2003 and June 2004, 28 individuals among 157 patients with cerebral aneurysms we evaluated were identified as harboring aneurysms with exceptionally broad necks. Out of these 28 patients, 16 were treated with a combination of stents and detachable coils, preserving the parent artery. Recorded data included patient demographics, the clinical presentation, aneurysm location and characteristics, procedural details, and clinical and angiographic outcome.

RESULTS:

Over an 18-month period, 16 patients with large cerebral aneurysms additionally characterized by neck sizes between 7 and 14 mm were treated, using combined coil embolization of the aneurysm with stent reconstruction of the aneurysm neck. Thirteen out of the 16 aneurysms were occluded at angiographic reevaluation between 11 and 24 months (mean angiographic follow-up, 17.5 mo). There were no treatment-related deaths or clinically evident neurological complications. Thirteen patients experienced excellent clinical outcomes, with good outcomes in two patients and a poor visual outcome in one patient (mean clinical follow-up, 29 mo). A single technical complication occurred, involving transient nonocclusive stent-associated thrombus, which was treated uneventfully with abciximab.

CONCLUSION:

Stent-supported coil embolization of large, complex-neck cerebral aneurysms seems to provide superior medium-term anatomic reconstruction of the parent artery compared with historic series of aneurysms treated exclusively with endosaccular coils. In the near future, increasingly sophisticated endoluminal devices offering higher coverage of the neck defect will likely enable more definitive endovascular treatment of complex cerebral aneurysms and further expand our ability to manipulate the vascular biology of the parent artery.
Endovascular Management of Acute Symptomatic Intracranial Arterial Occlusion
Authors: Veznedaroglu Erol , Levy Elad I.
Published: October 2006

OBJECTIVE:

Acute ischemic stroke has reached epidemic proportions in the United States, affecting approximately 700,000 people annually. With the recent technological advancements in endovascular devices, clinicians now have tools capable of recanalizing acute intracranial occlusions. The combination of pharmacological thrombolysis and mechanical clot perturbation may result in increased rates of angiographic recanalization, which may lead to improvement in patient outcomes after acute stroke.

METHODS:

In this article, the various intra-arterial pharmacological and mechanical therapies used by interventionists to treat acute stroke are described. Strategies for using combinations of these therapies are discussed, as are preliminary radiographic and clinical outcomes. Techniques for complex mechanical stroke interventions are discussed in detail.

RESULTS:

Several advances in endovascular stroke technologies are becoming increasingly available.

CONCLUSION:

With proper patient selection, these therapies may lead to increased recanalization rates and better patient outcomes.
The surgical use of ultrasound in otolaryngology
Authors: Giancarlo Hector R.
Published: October 2006

A 20‐year review of literature was done in order to compile effects of destructive ultrasound for surgical use in Otolaryngology. The physics of ultrasound were reviewed briefly highlighting the various methods of producing ultrasound. Various ultrasonic apparatus is discussed and the practical value of one compared to the other was evaluated. Histopathological studies that have been done by various international authors was tabulated and the effects of this type of energy was noted in various anatomical structures, that is, the inner ear, the pituitary gland, and laryngeal tissues. A correlation was attempted between clinical results seen in patients operated on with the use of this energy and histopathological findings seen in laboratory animals. Finally, a statistical study was compiled from the world literature as to the results of the use of ultrasound in the various surgical procedures used in Otolaryngology.
Management of pharyngoesophagostoma
Authors: Aviles Enero
Published: October 2006

Restoration of pharyngoesophageal continuity after resection of the base of the tongue, laryngopharynx and cervical esophagus, may be a multiple stage method of reconstruction and, therefore, time consuming. A case is reported, a new one‐stage method is illustrated, and different types of operations are revised.
Defensive chronic ear surgery
Authors: Kinney Sam E.
Published: October 2006

The surgery for chronic ear disease has been modified in recent years because of the advances that have been made in neuro‐otologic surgery including improvement in equipment and surgical techniques. There have been significant advances in the treatment of the acute phase of the inflammatory diseases of the middle ear and mastoid; however, there still remains a significant group of patients that require surgical correction of inflammatory disease of the middle ear and mastoid.

A defensive approach to chronic ear surgery has been developed. This includes a proper preoperative evaluation of the patient's middle ear or mastoid problem with office microscopic examination of the ear and proper radiographic and audiologic studies.

Surgical techniques include all the aspects of neuro‐otologic surgery including an excellent otologic drill and suction irrigation. The point is made that careful defensive chronic ear surgery is best done with blunt instruments to avoid injury to soft tissue structures.

A systematic approach to the removal of the disease from the ear is presented including the defensive approach of expecting complications and making preparations to avoid injuries as a result of these complications. This includes positive identification of the facial nerve, identification of labyrinthine fistulas, and cholesteatoma involvement of the posterior and middle fossa.

Two cases are presented to illustrate how this defensive approach to chronic ear surgery may allow systemic resolution of very difficult chronic ear problems with preservation of neurologic and labyrinthine function.
Pseudoglottis procedure: Update and secondary reconstruction techniques
Authors: Sisson George A. , Goldman Michael E.
Published: October 2006

Since our first report of 12 cases in 1977, we have added 37 cases and continue to modify our primary procedure for the reconstruction of a pseudoglottis after total laryngectomy. It has been and continues to be applied to a growing number of patients. We have also introduced a procedure modified after Staffieri for the secondary reconstruction of a pseudoglottis after total laryngectomy. A review of our cases reveals that a high percentage have achieved a good voice. Complications and problems continue and are further examined in this report. The current techniques and indications for the secondary reconstruction procedures are discussed. Even with the continuing problems, we believe that the use of Staffieri techniques or modifications thereof continues to be promising and may well become an accepted procedure in American laryngeal surgery.
DNA and its synthesis in individual tumor cells from human upper respiratory tract squamous cell carcinomas
Authors: Holm Lars‐Erik , Jakobsson Per , Killander Dick , Silpverswärd Claes , Wersäll Jan
Published: October 2006

Measurements of cytophotometric Feulgen DNA content and incorporation of 2H‐thymidine were made in individual tumor cells from 58 patients with squamous cell carcinomas of the head‐neck region. These measurements were correlated with a point ranking system for pathological grading for these types of tumors. Two of the parameters of the grading system, mode of invasion and nuclear polymorphism which had been found to be important factors in prognosis in clinical studies were correlated to the objective cellular DNA measurements.

In 40 carcinomas, 10 were found to have a predominantly diploid distribution of DNA values, while the remaining 30 tumor values were either multiples of diploid or were aneuploid. Generally, tumors with low point rankings for individual morphological parameters tended to have diploid DNA values. Those tumors with higher DNA values usually had larger point rankings and more advanced clinical stage.

When tumor cells from biopsies of 39 patients were studied by 2H‐thymidine incorporation, no relevant connections between the labeling index and cellular DNA amounts, malignancy grading, or clinical stage were found.
Leiomyoma of the maxilla — Report of a case
Authors: Mechlin David C. , Hamasaki Chalmers K. , Moore James R. , Davis William E. , Templer Jerry
Published: October 2006

Leiomyoma is a rare tumor in this location. It probably arises from the tunica media of blood vessels. Electron microscopy is necessary to confirm the diagnosis. Local excision of the lesion is adequate treatment.
The non‐value of preoperative and intraoperative cultures in predicting the bacteriology of subsequent wound infection in patients undergoing major head and neck cancer surgery
Authors: Becker Gary D. , Parell G. Joseph , Busch David P. , Finegold Sydney M. , Acquarelli Mario J. , Citron Diane M.
Published: October 2006

A prospective study of patients undergoing major head and neck cancer surgery was undertaken to define the value of preoperative and intraoperative cultures in identifying the patient at “high risk” of wound infection and in predicting the bacteriology of wound infection.

One or two days before surgery, the skin of the operative site on the neck, the oropharynx and anterior nares were swabbed. An intraoperative wound culture was obtained after the pharyngeal defect was closed and the wound irrigated with water. All cultures were processed for aerobes in the Anaerobic Bacteriology Research Laboratory at Wadsworth Hospital Center.

Wound infections developed in 10 of 31 patients who received cefazolin prophylactically and 21 of 25 patients who received no perioperative antibiotics. Fifty‐five percent of infected patients and 68% of noninfected patients demonstrated potential pathogens preoperatively. A potential pathogen isolated preoperatively or intraoperatively was subsequently recovered from 35% of infected wounds. The majority of infected wound cultures grew one or more additional pathogens. A poor correlation was also noted between preoperative nasal Staphylococcus aureus isolation and subsequent recovery from wound infections.

We conclude that preoperative and intraoperative aerobic wound cultures are not predictive of the “high risk” patient or of the bacteriology of subsequent wound infection in major head and neck cancer surgery.