bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Focus on Text Messages: A Review of Studies in French
Authors: Volckaert-Legrier Olga , Goumi Antonine , Bert-Erboul Alain , Bernicot Josie
Published: June 2015

The study of text messages has given rise to a number of French language research topics. First, databases of natural text messages have been created in multiple Francophone countries in an effort to link the texters' characteristics with the linguistic markers of the text messages. Many studies have focused on textisms (changes in spelling as compared to the traditional written code), creating repertoires of spelling processes and classifying them into typologies. With regard to linguistic aspects, a few studies have analyzed vocabulary and syntax. Sociolinguistic aspects have also been studied, taking into account the relationship among textisms, age, and gender. To address the question of whether text message writing is a threat to spelling, several studies have analyzed the link between text message writing and traditional writing. Finally, a number of studies have focused on the production processes of text message writing. Future studies will need to take into account the dialogical and conversational aspects of text messages.
Mobile Phones as Ubiquitous Social and Environmental Geo-Sensors
Authors: Sagl Günther , Resch Bernd
Published: June 2015

Mobile and sensor-rich devices such as today's smartphones are increasingly leveraged as ubiquitous mobile geo-sensors that are able to sense their immediate surroundings on site in high spatial and temporal detail. Using those devices, the activity or mobility behavior of mobile phone users is being “sensed” since they leave behind digital traces of their whereabouts when using the mobile network—voluntarily or not. Additionally, people themselves can act as human sensors by providing subjective, geo-referenced “observations” in the form of individual perceptions of, e.g., the weather, thereby complementing calibrated measurements from technical geo-sensor networks. Together with other user-generated and increasingly geo-referenced data and information from a variety of Web 2.0 and social media platforms, this results in vast volumes of geo-data that digitally reflect the dynamics of human behavior (e.g., mobility in urban spaces) and environmental phenomena (e.g., the weather). In this article, the authors provide an overview of recent literature, influencing scholars, and future research directions in the context of using mobile phones for social and environmental geo-sensing in order to provide additional insights into the space-time behavior of the underlying geographic phenomena.
Texting: Its Uses, Misuses, and Effects
Authors: Pascual-Ferrá Paola
Published: June 2015

Texting has become the preferred form of communication for many people around the world, especially teenagers and young adults. While texting allows individuals to communicate anywhere at any time, its accessibility also makes people prone to misuse the technology. This article attempts to synthesize the body of research on texting accumulated during the last decade, with a particular emphasis on the areas that have sparked the greatest debates regarding its use—education and learning, health, language and literacy, privacy and security, social relationships, text-bullying, and traffic safety. Other controversial mobile phone uses associated with texting, such as sexting, have been excluded from this article because of their increasing dependence on multi-media messaging services (MMS) and applications focused on sharing images, videos, and audio files beyond simple text. The article concludes with an assessment of the place of short message service (SMS) in the current mobile communication landscape and directions for future research.
Children, Risks, and the Mobile Internet
Authors: Mascheroni Giovanna , Haddon Leslie
Published: June 2015

This article examines young people's use of smartphones, with a particular focus on opportunities and risks related to the mobile internet. Drawing on a review of mobile phones literature and internet studies, the article examines the emergence of a new research agenda in the study of children and mobile communication and outlines relevant empirical evidence of changes associated with smartphones.
Deaf Adolescents' Textisms
Authors: Okuyama Yoshiko
Published: June 2015

This article starts with an overview of the existing literature on mobile communication and then presents a more detailed account of the current scientific knowledge in mobile communication and deaf studies, followed by a summary of the findings from the two case studies that the author recently conducted. The first study investigated how texting was used by deaf adolescents in Japan. The second study examined text messages written by U.S. deaf adolescents. Both studies collected a small corpus of dyadic messages exchanged via cell phone between two deaf high-school students at each residential school to examine the unconventional spellings typically used in text messages, or “textisms.” The characteristics of each text-message corpus (356 messages produced by the Japanese pair, and 370 messages by the U.S. pair) were analyzed in order to explore the features of textisms adopted by these deaf adolescents.
Service Providers' Perspective about Destination Based Web-Marketing
Authors: Khanna Suvidha , Broca Saran Preet Kaur
Published: June 2015

Web marketing is a new way of performing the task of marketing, and electronic services have already changed whole industries, such as banking, health, education, etc., by streamlining the business and service processes. The tourism industry is no exception to this change; the information and communication technology in the tourism sector is of special significance. With this backdrop, the present chapter aims to study the role of destination based tourism websites in promoting Jammu as a destination by various service providers (Hotels, Travel Agencies, and Airlines). The findings of the study suggest that while the websites are scoring above-average values on the all the five factors under study (Functionality, Convenience, Website Layout, Convenience and Content) their performance can still be improved. The service providers who use these websites, are completely satisfied with the speed of information downloads, transaction processing speed, website designs, logical organization of the website, etc.
An Examination of the Role of Restaurant Attributes on Patrons Dining Experience and Their Post-Purchase Intentions
Authors: Batra Adarsh
Published: June 2015

The purpose of this chapter is to determine the relationship between restaurant attributes and customers' overall perception and return patronage, and whether dining occasions relate to return patronage. A sample survey method was used, with a structured questionnaire as the research instrument, at a restaurant in Bangalore, (India). Data from 400 restaurant patrons as respondents was used for statistical analysis. Frequencies, Means, Chi-square and Spearman rank-order correlation were used to analyze data. Findings showed that there is a correlation between restaurant attributes and customers' overall perception. Results also indicated that there is a relationship between return patronage and restaurant attributes and dining occasions. Managerial implications are addressed and discussed.
The Effects of Terrorism on Tourism and the Media's Role
Authors: Shin Youngsun
Published: June 2015

Crimes, terrorism, civil unrest and war have caused serious damage to the tourism industries of afflicted destinations and in some cases totally decimated a whole industry. A turbulent security environment, caused by wars, coups d'etat, civil wars and terrorist attacks, has already demonstrated its negative impact on tourism development in many countries around the world (Taylor & Quayle, 1994). As part of this growing body of tourism literature, this chapter examines the media's role and tourist destination image in general. Moreover, the primary survey carried out to discover the perceptions and attitudes of international visitors while visiting the DMZ and its vicinity and how they perceived safety in the DMZ area. The survey were 151 international tourists to the DMZ area, reveal that respondents had reasonably positive perceptions of the DMZ area.
Corporate Governance and Firm Performance
Authors: Nandi Devanjali , Das Arindam
Published: June 2015

Ownership structure is considered to be of prime importance in corporate governance of a firm. The ownership structure significantly varies across the nations. The main focus of this chapter is twofold: firstly to see the impact of ownership structure on performance of the firm and secondly to investigate the relationship between stock market performance and ownership structure during the crisis period. Panel data analysis of CNX 200 companies has been done for the time period of 2006-2013.The study also takes into account the relationship between crisis period stock return and ownership structure. The results of this study reveal a positive relationship of promoter's shareholding with performance while a negative relationship of performance is found with the non-promoters shareholding. The regression of stock price performance on ownership variable gives a significant negative relationship during the crisis period.
Information Extraction in the Medical Domain
Authors: Ghoulam Aicha , Barigou Fatiha , Belalem Ghalem
Published: June 2015

Information Extraction (IE) is a natural language processing (NLP) task whose aim is to analyse texts written in natural language to extract structured and useful information such as named entities and semantic relations between them. Information extraction is an important task in a diverse set of applications like bio-medical literature mining, customer care, community websites, personal information management and so on. In this paper, the authors focus only on information extraction from clinical reports. The two most fundamental tasks in information extraction are discussed; namely, named entity recognition task and relation extraction task. The authors give details about the most used rule/pattern-based and machine learning techniques for each task. They also make comparisons between these techniques and summarize the advantages and disadvantages of each one.
An Evolutionary Approach for Balancing Effectiveness and Representation Level in Gene Selection
Authors: Dessì Nicoletta , Pes Barbara , Cannas Laura Maria
Published: June 2015

As data mining develops and expands to new application areas, feature selection also reveals various aspects to be considered. This paper underlines two aspects that seem to categorize the large body of available feature selection algorithms: the effectiveness and the representation level. The effectiveness deals with selecting the minimum set of variables that maximize the accuracy of a classifier and the representation level concerns discovering how relevant the variables are for the domain of interest. For balancing the above aspects, the paper proposes an evolutionary framework for feature selection that expresses a hybrid method, organized in layers, each of them exploits a specific model of search strategy. Extensive experiments on gene selection from DNA-microarray datasets are presented and discussed. Results indicate that the framework compares well with different hybrid methods proposed in literature as it has the capability of finding well suited subsets of informative features while improving classification accuracy.
Локальный алгебраический анализ дифференциальных систем
Authors: Kaptsov Oleg Viktorovich
Published: June 2015

Предложен новый подход к исследованию совместности уравнений с частными производными. Этот подход является синтезом метода Рикье, теории базисов Грeбнера и элементов алгебраической геометрии. В качестве приложений рассмотрены системы, включающие волновое уравнение и уравнение синус-гордон.
Магнитный фазовый переход в теории спиновых флуктуаций
Authors: Melnikov Nikolai Borisovich , Paradezhenko Georgii Vitalievich
Published: June 2015

Фазовый переход первого рода является характерной особенностью гауссова приближения в теории спиновых флуктуаций. Предложен метод учета членов четвертого порядка в разложении свободной энергии при помощи частичного усреднения. На примере модели Изинга показано, что перенормировка магнитной восприимчивости приводит к непрерывному фазовому переходу второго рода, который наблюдается в эксперименте в металлах. Для построения температурных зависимостей при высоких температурах использован метод замены параметра.
Применимость приближения равновесности белкового окружения при описании сверхбыстрых биофизических процессов
Authors: Poddubnyy Vladimir Vladimirovich , Glebov Ilya Olegovich , Sudar'kova Svetlana Mikhailovna
Published: June 2015

Теоретическое описание сверхбыстрых процессов в биологических системах, в частности переноса электрона в фотосинтетических реакционных центрах, является важной задачей современной биологической физики. В силу того что эти процессы протекают в белковой среде, с которой возможен обмен энергией, для их описания необходимо применять методы квантовой теории открытых систем. Однако из-за высокой скорости и специфики белкового окружения основополагающие приближения теории могут не выполняться. Изучена применимость приближения неизменности состояния белкового окружения (термостата) для диссипативной динамики переноса заряда между молекулами-пигментами, входящими в состав реакционных центров. Для этого использованы модельные системы, параметры которых близки к реальным. Сделан вывод о том, что данное приближение справедливо для описания как монотонной, так и осциллирующей динамики реакционной подсистемы в крупных биологических молекулах. Рассмотрены различные механизмы термализации термостата
и показано, что термализация термостата происходит не за счет внутримолекулярного перераспределения колебательной энергии в нем, а только за счет его взаимодействия с реакционной подсистемой.
Одномерный двухкомпонентный бозе-газ и алгебраический анзац Бете
Authors: Slavnov Nikita Andreevich
Published: June 2015

Алгебраический анзац Бете применяется к модели одномерного двухкомпонентного бозе-газа с дельтаобразным отталкиванием. С помощью решеточной аппроксимации $L$-оператора найдены векторы Бете данной модели в непрерывном пределе. Также получено представление для матрицы монодромии в виде ряда, зависящего от бозонных полей. С помощью этого представления исследовано асимптотическое разложение матрицы монодромии по спектральному параметру.
Ocorrência de Proscopiidae em Eucalyptus spp.: análise da infestação e distribuição espacial
Authors: Santos Alexandre Dos , Domenico Fernando Campos de , Filho Otávio Peres , Soares Rosane Segalla , Teixeira Vagner Aniceto
Published: June 2015

O objetivo desse estudo foi relatar a ocorrência de proscopídeos e quantificar a infestação e a distribuição espacial do ataque em um plantio experimental com três clones de eucalipto. No plantio foram utilizadas mudas de eucalipto dos clones dos híbridos GG100 de Eucalyptus urophylla x Eucalyptus grandis, H13 de Eucalyptus urophylla x Eucalyptus grandis e VM01 de Eucalyptus urophylla x Eucalyptus camaldulensis, dispostas em três blocos com 512 mudas, em espaçamento de 3 m x 2 m, no município de Cáceres, Mato Grosso, Brasil. Dois meses após o plantio, foi detectada a infestação na área por proscopídeos, os quais foram coletados para identificação. As plantas atacadas foram georeferenciadas e as injúrias quantificadas. A determinação do padrão espacial do ataque pelos proscopídeos foi realizada com os dados de posição das plantas danificadas, que foram submedidas à análise por quadrats utilizando-se os índices de dispersão binomial e de Morisita. Todos os indivíduos coletados foram identificados como Tetanorhynchus smithi Rehn, 1904 (Orthoptera: Proscopiidae), tendo a infestação diferida significativamente entre os três clones de eucalipto, com distribuição espacial do ataque nas mudas das plantas do tipo agregado. Esta foi a primeira ocorrência desta espécie de proscopídeo em eucalipto no estado de Mato Grosso.
Corredores ecológicos como ferramenta para a desfragmentação de florestas tropicais
Authors: Seoane Carlos Eduardo Sícoli , Diaz Vinícius Sandri , Santos Tomaz Longhi , Froufe Luís Claudio Maranhão
Published: June 2015

A expansão do uso e ocupação antrópica do espaço terrestre leva a uma severa fragmentação dos habitats naturais. Corredores ecológicos podem facilitar o deslocamento de organismos entre fragmentos de habitats e têm sido cada vez mais adotados como uma ferramenta para manter e restaurar a biodiversidade. A teoria da metapopulação é uma das bases para os atuais estudos sobre corredores ecológicos. Esses estudos ainda estão pouco desenvolvidos, especialmente em ecossistemas tropicais, carecendo de bases científicas sólidas para apoiar a sua utilidade. No entanto, os efeitos da fragmentação florestal são tão severos que é justificável o planejamento e a execução de medidas que busquem atenuá-las, apesar de não estarem disponíveis resultados de pesquisas que demonstrem a eficácia ou mesmo o acerto destas medidas.

doi: 10.4336/2010.pfb.30.63.207
Neutral atmosphere temperature change at 90 km, 70° N, 19° E, 2003–2014
Authors: Holmen S. E. , Hall C. M. , Tsutsumi M.
Published: June 2015

Abstract. Neutral temperatures for 90 km height above Tromsø, Norway, have been determined using ambipolar diffusion coefficients calculated from meteor echo fading times using the Nippon/Norway Tromsø Meteor Radar (NTMR). Daily temperature averages have been calculated from November 2003 to October 2014 and calibrated against temperature measurements from the Microwave Limb Sounder (MLS) on board Aura. The long-term trend of temperatures from the NTMR radar is investigated, and winter and summer seasons are looked at separately. Seasonal variation has been accounted for, as well as solar response, using the F10.7 cm flux as a proxy for solar activity. The long-term temperature trend from 2003 to 2014 is −3.6 K ± 1.1 K decade−1, with summer and winter trends −0.8 K ± 2.9 K decade−1 and −8.1 K ± 2.5 K decade−1, respectively. How well suited a meteor radar is for estimating neutral temperatures at 90 km using meteor trail echoes is discussed, and physical explanations behind a cooling trend are proposed.
Statistical precision of the intensities retrieved from constrained fitting of overlapping peaks in high-resolution mass spectra
Authors: Cubison M. J. , Jimenez J. L.
Published: June 2015

Abstract. Least-squares fitting of overlapping peaks is often needed to separately quantify ions in high-resolution mass spectrometer data. A statistical simulation approach is used to assess the statistical precision of the retrieved peak intensities. The sensitivity of the fitted peak intensities to statistical noise due to ion counting is probed for synthetic data systems consisting of two overlapping ion peaks whose positions are pre-defined and fixed in the fitting procedure. The fitted intensities are sensitive to imperfections in the m/Q calibration. These propagate as a limiting precision in the fitted intensities that may greatly exceed the precision arising from counting statistics. The precision on the fitted peak intensity falls into one of three regimes. In the "counting-limited regime" (regime I), above a peak separation χ ~ 2 to 3 half-widths at half-maximum (HWHM), the intensity precision is similar to that due to counting error for an isolated ion. For smaller χ and higher ion counts (~ 1000 and higher), the intensity precision rapidly degrades as the peak separation is reduced ("calibration-limited regime", regime II). Alternatively for χ < 1.6 but lower ion counts (e.g. 10–100) the intensity precision is dominated by the additional ion count noise from the overlapping ion and is not affected by the imprecision in the m/Q calibration ("overlapping-limited regime", regime III). The transition between the counting and m/Q calibration-limited regimes is shown to be weakly dependent on resolving power and data spacing and can thus be approximated by a simple parameterisation based only on peak intensity ratios and separation. A simple equation can be used to find potentially problematic ion pairs when evaluating results from fitted spectra containing many ions. Longer integration times can improve the precision in regimes I and III, but a given ion pair can only be moved out of regime II through increased spectrometer resolving power. Studies presenting data obtained from least-squares fitting procedures applied to mass spectral peaks should explicitly consider these limits on statistical precision.
The microwave properties of simulated melting precipitation particles: sensitivity to initial melting
Authors: Johnson B. T. , Olson W. S. , Skofronick-Jackson G.
Published: June 2015

Abstract. A simplified approach is presented for assessing the microwave response to the initial melting of realistically-shaped ice particles. This paper is divided into two parts: (1) a description of the Single Particle Melting Model (SPMM): a heuristic melting simulation for ice-phase precipitation particles of any shape or size. SPMM is applied to two simulated aggregate snow particles, simulating melting up to 0.15 melt fraction by mass; and (2) the computation of the single-particle microwave scattering and extinction properties these hydrometeors, using the discrete dipole approximation (via DDSCAT), at the following selected frequencies: 13.4, 35.6, 94.0 GHz for radar applications; and 89, 165.0 and 183.31 GHz for radiometer applications. These selected frequencies are consistent with current microwave remote sensing platforms, such as CloudSat and the Global Precipitation Measurement (GPM) mission. Comparisons with calculations using variable-density spheres indicate significant deviations in scattering and extinction properties throughout the initial range of melting (liquid volume fractions less than 0.15). Integration of the single-particle properties over an exponential particle-size distribution provides additional insight into idealized radar reflectivity and passive microwave brightness temperature sensitivity to variations in size/mass, shape, melt fraction, and particle orientation.
Use of near-infrared spectroscopy to assess phosphorus fractions of different plant availability in forest soils
Authors: Niederberger J. , Todt B. , Boča A. , Nitschke R. , Kohler M. , Kühn P. , Bauhus J.
Published: June 2015

Abstract. The analysis of soil phosphorus (P) in fractions of different plant availability is a common approach to characterize the P status of forest soils. However, quantification of organic and inorganic P fractions in different extracts is labor intensive and therefore rarely applied for large sample numbers. Therefore, we examined whether different P fractions can be predicted using near-infrared spectroscopy (NIRS). We used the Hedley sequential extraction method (modified by Tiessen and Moir, 2008) with increasingly strong extractants to determine P in fractions of different plant availability and measured near-infrared (NIR) spectra for soil samples from sites of the German forest soil inventory and from a nature reserve in southeastern China. The R2 of NIRS calibrations to predict P in individual Hedley fractions ranged between 0.08 and 0.85. When these fractions were combined into labile, moderately labile and stable P pools, R2 of calibration models was between 0.38 and 0.88 (all significant). Model prediction quality was higher for organic than for inorganic P fractions and increased with the homogeneity of soil properties in soil sample sets. Useable models were obtained for samples originating from one soil type in subtropical China, whereas prediction models for sample sets from a range of soil types in Germany were only moderately useable or not useable. Our results indicate that prediction of Hedley P fractions with NIRS can be a promising approach to replace conventional analysis, if models are developed for sets of soil samples with similar physical and chemical properties, e.g., from the same soil type or study site.
Perfiles de uso de redes sociales: estudio descriptivo con alumnado de la Universidad de Murcia
Authors: Prendes Espinosa Mª Paz , Gutiérrez Porlán Isabel , Castañeda Quintero Linda
Published: June 2015

Las herramientas telemáticas se han convertido en parte de nuestra cotidianidad y esta afirmación se hace aún más patente si nos centramos en la población de jóvenes. Sin embargo las posibilidades que estas herramientas permiten desde un  punto de vista profesional -más allá de los aspectos meramente lúdicos- siguen sin ser aprovechadas del todo, tanto por los sujetos como por las instituciones educativas. Es por ello que este trabajo analiza el uso que los estudiantes universitarios hacen de las redes sociales, intentando averiguar el tipo de uso que hacen de estas herramientas. Hemos llevado a cabo una investigación descriptiva desde una perspectiva cuantitativa apoyada en la técnica de encuesta. Hemos aplicado un cuestionario a toda la población de estudiantes de la Universidad de Murcia. Presentamos los datos obtenidos, habiendo sido respondido por 487 estudiantes de nuestra universidad en el primer semestre del año 2014. Los resultados confirman nuestra hipótesis de que las redes sociales forman parte de las herramientas básicas y habituales de comunicación entre los jóvenes de nuestra universidad y que se utilizan para fines eminentemente lúdicos, y además que las herramientas que se usan para actividades más académicas  son  aquellas que permiten un mayor control de la privacidad.
Patient-Adapted Treatment for Prosthetic Hip Joint Infection
Authors: Baker Richard P. , Tafin Ulrika Furustrand , Borens Olivier
Published: June 2015

Hip joint replacement is 1 of the most successful surgical procedures of the last century and the number of replacements implanted is steadily growing. An infected hip arthroplasty is a disaster, it leads to patient suffering, surgeon's frustration and significant costs to the health system. The treatment of an infected hip replacement is challenging, healing rates can be low, functional results poor with decreased patient satisfaction. However, if a patient-adapted treatment of infected hip joints is used a success rate of above 90% can be obtained.

Patient-adapted treatment is based on 5 important concepts: teamwork; understanding the biofilm; diagnostic accuracy; correct definition and classification of PJI; and patient-tailored treatment.

This review presents a patient-adapted treatment strategy to prosthetic hip infection. It incorporates the best aspects of the single and staged surgical strategies and promotes the short interval philosophy for the 2-stage approach.
An Intradialytic Increase in Serum Interleukin-6 Levels is Associated with an Increased Mortality in Hemodialysis Patients
Authors: Lichtenberg Shelly , Korzets Asher , Zingerman Boris , Green Hefziba , Erman Arie , Gafter Uzi , Rozen-Zvi Benaya
Published: June 2015

Background

The inflammatory marker interleukin-6 (IL-6) increases early in the inflammatory cascade. The aim of this study was to evaluate whether an increase in serum IL-6 levels during a hemodialysis (HD) session is associated with mortality.

Methods

57 adult patients treated with HD for more than 1 month were prospectively studied over a 3-year follow-up period. Demographic and clinical data were collected and blood samples were drawn before and after a midweek HD session. Events of death and censoring were recorded.

Results

During the 3-year follow-up, 50.8% of the patients died. In univariate Cox regression analysis, an increase in IL-6 levels during HD was associated with an increased mortality (HR 1.41 per pg/ml; 95% CI 1.06 to 1.88; P = .017). In multivariate Cox models, the only independent predictors of all-cause mortality were: an increase in IL-6 levels during dialysis (HR 1.46 per pg/ml; 95% CI 1.08 to 1.98; P = .014), higher baseline C-reactive protein (CRP) levels and older age. When predictors of an increase in serum IL-6 levels during HD were introduced into the model, mortality was still significantly associated with IL-6 elevation during dialysis (HR 1.47 per pg/ml, 95% CI 1.01 to 2.14; P = .045).

Conclusions

A rise in serum IL-6 levels during a single HD session is associated with a higher mortality among HD patients, independent of predialysis CRP or IL-6 levels. The results may imply the presence of an intradialytic inflammatory response that affects survival in HD patients.
Effect of 1-Piece Post and Core Fabrication Techniques on Fracture Strength
Authors: Kalyoncuoğlu Elif , Ural Çağrı , Aydemir Hikmet , Aslan Muhammed Ali , Balkaya Veysel
Published: June 2015

Purpose

The purpose of this in vitro study was to evaluate and compare the fracture strengths of post and core systems produced with different fabrication techniques and materials.

Methods

Forty extracted human single-root premolars were used in this study. After root canal treatment, the teeth were randomly divided into 4 groups of 10 each as follows: group C: metallic 1-piece posts and cores fabricated by casting, and serving as the control; group CM: metallic posts and cores fabricated with the copy milled technique; group LS: 1-piece posts and cores fabricated with the laser sintering technique; and group ZR: 1-piece zirconia posts and cores fabricated with computer-aided design and computer-aided manufacturing (CAD-CAM). The posts and cores were cemented to the teeth with adhesive resin cement; then, the specimens were mounted to acrylic resin blocks, attached to an Instron Universal Testing Machine, and loaded with a crosshead speed of 1 mm/min, until fracture. Data were statistically analyzed using 1-way analysis of variance (ANOVA), followed by the post hoc Tukey test (α = 0.05).

Results

The highest fracture results were found in group ZR (315.4 ± 53.4 N), which showed significant differences from all other groups (p<0.05). The lowest test values were found in group C (230.2 ± 29.8 N). Group LS (250.9 ± 29.0 N), group CM (253.0 ± 22.4 N) and group C did not show any significant differences (p>0.05).

Conclusions

Custom-made zirconia 1-piece posts and cores, fabricated using the CAD-CAM procedure, can be an alternative treatment method when compared with other techniques.
Doppler Ultrasound Measurement of Resistance Index in the Diagnosis of Prostate Cancer
Authors: Huang Wei , Cen Son , Kang Xin-Li , Wang Wei Fu , Wang Yang , Chen Xiang
Published: June 2015

Prostate cancer (PCa) remains the second leading cause of cancer diagnosis worldwide. Early diagnosis and treatment of PCa is critical since the long-term prognosis is excellent in patients with tumors confined to the prostate gland. The current meta-analysis investigates the diagnostic value of resistive index (RI) measurement using color Doppler ultrasound in patients with PCa. Electronic literature databases were exhaustively searched for relevant studies published prior to May 31, 2014. Nine studies met our predetermined inclusion criteria for the present meta-analysis. The methodologic quality of the selected studies was independently assessed by 2 reviewers based on Quality Assessment of Diagnostic Accuracy Studies tool. Our meta-analysis results showed that RI values were significantly higher in malignant prostate tissues compared to normal prostate tissues (standardized mean difference [SMD] 0.42, 95% confidence interval [CI] 0.12~0.73, p = 0.007) and benign prostate tissues (SMD 0.41, 95% CI 0.26~0.56, p<0.001). Subgroup analysis based on the diagnostic instruments used revealed that RI values were accurate in diagnosis of PCa when compared between malignant tissue vs normal tissue and malignant tissue vs benign tissue (all p<0.05). Taken together, our findings support the potential clinical applications of RI values in diagnosis of PCa.
Neutropenia Secondary to Exposure to Levetiracetam
Authors: Bonastre M Teresa Taberner , Muñoz Sergio Peralta , Boza Félix Muñoz , Padró Josep Gumà i
Published: June 2015

Aims and background

Brain metastases occur in about 30% of patients with non-small-cell lung carcinoma; seizures occur in approximately 20% of them. Antiepileptic drugs are commonly given for postoperative prophylaxis after brain or metastasis tumor surgery. The incidence of seizures following supratentorial craniotomy is estimated to be 15%-20%. Postoperative seizures are more common in the first month after cranial surgery. However, the use of antiepileptic drugs postoperatively has been investigated in randomized controlled trials. In case of seizures, the recommendations are continuing antiepileptic drugs after a 1- to 4-year seizure-free interval. This decision must weigh the risk of seizure recurrence against the possible benefits of the drug. Some antiepileptic drugs have been known to cause blood dyscrasias, including neutropenia, but this is a rare occurrence.

Methods

We report a case of neutropenia related to the use of levetiracetam at first exposure. After drug administration, neutropenia was detected. Additional tests were performed.

Results

By exclusion, it was decided to withdraw the drug, and the patient had a reversal of neutropenia.

Conclusions

Levetiracetam-induced neutropenia is infrequent but possible. It is an exclusion diagnosis.
B7-H1/PD-1 Blockade Therapy in Urological Malignancies: Current Status and Future Prospects
Authors: Yu Lun , Wang Yonghua , Shao Shixiu , Yang Meng , Niu Haitao , Yu Qinchao , Wang Xinshen
Published: June 2015

The stimulatory and inhibitory coreceptors expressed by T lymphocytes are known to play critical roles in regulating cancer immunity. An array of inhibitory coreceptors involved in the inhibition of T-cell functions and the blockade of immune activation have been discovered in recent years, the most important of which are cytotoxic T-lymphocyte antigen-4 (CTLA-4), programmmed death-1 (PD-1), and B7 homolog 1 (B7-H1). Immunotherapies targeting T-cell coinhibitory molecules have proved to be effective in cancer treatment. Several kinds of monoclonal antibodies have been tested in preclinical studies, with better outcomes than conventional therapies in many malignancies. Common urological malignancies including renal cell carcinoma, bladder cancer and prostate cancer are supposed to be immunogenic cancer types and not so sensitive to conventional therapies as other malignancies. This review will focus on B7-H1/PD-1 blockade therapy in urological malignancies, summarizing the results of clinical trials as well as the challenges and prospects of this emerging immunotherapy.
Co-occurring Adverse Events Enable Early Prediction of Progression-free Survival in Metastatic Renal Cell Carcinoma Patients Treated with Sunitinib: A Hypothesis-generating Study
Authors: Kucharz Jakub , Dumnicka Paulina , Kuzniewski Marek , Kusnierz-Cabala Beata , Herman Roman Maria , Krzemieniecki Krzysztof
Published: June 2015

Aims and background

Clinical practice shows significant differences in treatment outcomes and toxicity of sunitinib across patients. This retrospective study assessed early predictive markers for progression-free survival (PFS) in patients with metastatic clear cell renal cell carcinoma (RCC) treated with sunitinib in the first-line setting.

Methods

We evaluated 28 patients with stage IV clear cell RCC (with good or intermediate MSKCC risk prognosis) treated at the Department of Oncology, University Hospital, Cracow between 2008 and 2013. Data included demographic profiles, adverse events during first cycle of therapy, treatment delays, and treatment outcomes. Sunitinib was administered on a standard schedule (50 mg/day, 4 weeks on, 2 weeks off). PFS values were estimated with the Kaplan-Meier method and compared using the log-rank test; we identified independent PFS predictors using multiple Cox regression models.

Results

PFS was significantly longer in patients who experienced at least 1 adverse event after the first cycle of sunitinib (median 17.6 months vs. 5.6; p = 0.006). Hypertension and hand-foot syndrome were significantly correlated with longer PFS (29.3 vs. 6.0 months; p = 0.002, and not reached vs. 9.8 months; p = 0.002, respectively). We observed a similar (though not significant) tendency for neutropenia (17.5 vs. 8.4 months; p = 0.055). In multiple Cox regression, hypertension was the only individual independent predictor of PFS, but the co-occurrence of any 2 or 3 sunitinib-induced adverse events also predicted longer survival.

Conclusions

Although small, our study suggests that hypertension and hand-foot syndrome predict longer PFS in patients with clear cell RCC treated with sunitinib. The co-occurrence of 2 or more side effects seems also a significant predictor of longer survival. Larger studies are warranted to confirm the correlation between co-occurring side effects and PFS.
Panitumumab after Progression on Cetuximab in KRAS Wild-type Metastatic Colorectal Cancer Patients: a Single Institution Experience
Authors: Marino Antonella , Caliolo Chiara , Sponziello Francesco , Nacci Angelo , Quaranta Annamaria , Mazzoni Enrica , Lutrino Stefania Eufemia , Rizzo Pietro , Calvani Nicola , Orlando Laura , Schiavone Paola , Fedele Palma , D'Amico Maria , Chetrì Maria Concetta , Cinefra Margherita , Ferrara Pasqualinda , Cinieri Saverio
Published: June 2015

Aims and background

Few data describe the activity of panitumumab after cetuximab-irinotecan-based regimen failure in patients with KRAS wild-type metastatic colorectal cancer (WT MCRC).

Methods

The aim of this study is to assess if panitumumab has some activity in this setting.

Results

We retrospectively analyzed 25 patients with KRAS WT MCRC who received panitumumab from July 2009 to January 2013 after progression on cetuximab. All patients had previously received cetuximab and irinotecan (20 patients) or oxaliplatin (5 patients). We withdrew cetuximab for intolerance in 4 patients (16%). Twenty-one patients (84%) who had previously responded to cetuximab (overall response rate [ORR] plus stable disease ≥5 months) received panitumumab off-label after progression on cetuximab because they were strongly motivated to continue treatment without chemotherapy. The median number of cycles of panitumumab was 7 (range 1-54). Only 20 patients were evaluable for ORR (5 patients received 1-2 cycles and then died). We observed 1 (5%) partial response, 5 (25%) stable disease, median duration 9 months. Median progression-free survival (PFS) and overall survival (OS) were 5 (3-28) and 8 (5-41) months, respectively. All patients were evaluable for toxicity. No patients developed anemia or neutropenia. One patient (4%) developed grade 2 thrombocytopenia, 8 patients (32%) grade 2-3 dry skin or rash, and 2 patients (8%) grade 2 nausea-vomiting (Common Terminology Criteria for Adverse Events version 4.03).

Conclusions

Our data, with all the limits of a retrospective analysis, show longer PFS and OS as compared to other series in the same setting, demonstrating that panitumumab has treatment effectiveness in patients with KRAS WT MCRC who progressed on prior cetuximab. Further confirmatory prospective studies with a larger series of patients are necessary.
MANUTENÇÃO E CALIBRAÇÃO DE ESFIGMOMANÔMETROS: POSSÍVEIS IMPACTOS NA MEDIÇÃO DA PRESSÃO ARTERIAL
Authors: Bernardo Vieira Lessa Sérgio , de Sampaio R.G. Garrido Fabiola , Grazinoli Garrido Rodrigo
Published: June 2015

The aim of the study was to evaluate the calibration and the need for maintenance ofsphygmomanometers,in order to advise aboutpossible interferences overvalues found during measurements. It was carried out the calibration and external and functional analysis,of 299 sphygmomanometers from domestic use and the hospitalnetworkin the city of Petropolis, Rio de Janeiro. It was also evaluated in which extent maintenance is compensatory. It was observed that 64.4% of hospital equipment and 53.3% of the household remaineduncalibrated. In additionto that, up to 54.1% of hospital equipment and 19.0% of household needed the exchange of components, such as couplings, valves, clamps and pears. However, even the most expensivemaintenanceprocedure, in which occurredthe calibration and exchange of all components, its realization is still economically compensatory in relation to the purchase of the new equipment.It was concluded that,under these conditions,devices can significantly impact the determination of blood pressure and thus,the health of the population.
Mechanisms of Invasion in Head and Neck Cancer
Authors: Jimenez Lizandra , Jayakar Sangeeta K. , Ow Thomas J. , Segall Jeffrey E.
Published: June 2015

Context

The highly invasive properties demonstrated by head and neck squamous cell carcinoma (HNSCC) are often associated with locoregional recurrence and lymph node metastasis in patients and is a key factor leading to an expected 5-year survival rate of approximately 50% for patients with advanced disease. It is important to understand the features and mediators of HNSCC invasion so that new treatment approaches can be developed.

Objectives

To provide an overview of the characteristics, mediators, and mechanisms of HNSCC invasion.

Data Sources

A literature review of peer-reviewed articles in PubMed on HNSCC invasion.

Conclusions

Histologic features of HNSCC tumors can help predict prognosis and influence clinical treatment decisions. Cell surface receptors, signaling pathways, proteases, invadopodia function, epithelial-mesenchymal transition, microRNAs, and tumor microenvironment are all involved in the regulation of the invasive behavior of HNSCC cells. Identifying effective HNSCC invasion inhibitors has the potential to improve outcomes for patients by reducing the rate of spread and increasing responsiveness to chemoradiation.
Le portefeuille territorial d’évènements culturels (PTEC) : nouvelle modalité de gestion de l’offre d’évènementiel culturel pour un management stratégique des territoires1
Authors: Arnaud Charlène , Soldo Edina
Published: June 2015

S’appuyant sur le constat d’une évènementialisation croissante de la culture et des territoires, cette recherche théorise le portefeuille territorial d’évènements culturels (PTEC). Cela implique d’adapter les modèles traditionnels d’analyse stratégique en vue de proposer aux managers publics un outil de pilotage de l’offre territoriale d’évènementiel culturel. Sur la base d’une étude de cas unique enchâssée à l’échelle d’un territoire intercommunal, les résultats montrent que le processus de sélection des évènements culturels s’inscrit dans une approche fonctionnelle et que son management stratégique se caractérise par une gouvernance contingente multi-niveaux et multi-partite impliquant un leadership territorial incitatif.
Impact des rumeurs d’offres publiques d’acquisition sur la liquidité : cas des entreprises françaises cibles
Authors: Laouiti Mhamed , Habib Aymen , Ajina Aymen
Published: June 2015

Les rumeurs d’offres publiques d’acquisition sont considérées comme des rumeurs financières les plus importantes sur le marché en raison de leurs conséquences qui sont parfois disproportionnées par rapport à la normale tel que le cas de Danone, Suez et Hermès. Notre objectif consiste à évaluer l’impact de ce type de rumeurs sur la liquidité des titres des entreprises cibles cotées sur le marché français. Les résultats des études d’évènement montrent une présence de valeurs anormales des prix, volumes et fourchettes de prix autour de la date d’apparition des rumeurs dans les médias.
Effets du sentiment communautaire virtuel sur la fidélité
Authors: Ben Yahia Imène , Chaabouni Amel
Published: June 2015

Le Sentiment Communautaire Virtuel, qui décrit la force des liens entre les membres d’une communauté virtuelle, est un concept relativement nouveau dont peu est réellement connu. L’objectif de cette recherche est double. D’abord, une échelle de mesure en français est proposée. Celle-ci repose sur le travail de Koh et Kim (2003). Ensuite, son influence sur la fidélité à l’entreprise est explorée. À partir d’une collecte de données de 342 membres, les résultats montrent que le sentiment communautaire virtuel favorise directement la fidélité. Toutefois, il affaiblit les liens entre la qualité de la relation client et la fidélité.
Régulation autonome et régulation de contrôle dans le processus d’appropriation des outils de gestion : identification de six modes d’articulation
Authors: Quemener Yann , Fimbel Eric
Published: June 2015

Cette recherche explore les composantes de la relation « autonomie-contrôle » dans le processus d’appropriation des outils de gestion (ODG). Elle mobilise la théorie de la régulation sociale (TRS) de Reynaud (1999, 2003, 2004) et s’appuie sur une étude empirique quantitative, menée auprès des membres de la DFCG1. L’analyse des résultats via le prisme de la TRS permet d’identifier six classes contribuant à une meilleure compréhension des modes d’articulation entre régulations de contrôle et autonomes, tant du point de vue des formes de compromis que de celui des voies d’échange.
Evidence that synthetic lethality underlies the mutual exclusivity of oncogenic KRAS and EGFR mutations in lung adenocarcinoma
Authors: Unni Arun M , Lockwood William W , Zejnullahu Kreshnik , Lee-Lin Shih-Queen , Varmus Harold
Published: June 2015

Human lung adenocarcinomas (LUAD) contain mutations in EGFR in ∼15% of cases and in KRAS in ∼30%, yet no individual adenocarcinoma appears to carry activating mutations in both genes, a finding we have confirmed by re-analysis of data from over 600 LUAD. Here we provide evidence that co-occurrence of mutations in these two genes is deleterious. In transgenic mice programmed to express both mutant oncogenes in the lung epithelium, the resulting tumors express only one oncogene. We also show that forced expression of a second oncogene in human cancer cell lines with an endogenous mutated oncogene is deleterious. The most prominent features accompanying loss of cell viability were vacuolization, other changes in cell morphology, and increased macropinocytosis. Activation of ERK, p38 and JNK in the dying cells suggests that an overly active MAPK signaling pathway may mediate the phenotype. Together, our findings indicate that mutual exclusivity of oncogenic mutations may reveal unexpected vulnerabilities and therapeutic possibilities.
Acoustic duetting in Drosophila virilis relies on the integration of auditory and tactile signals
Authors: LaRue Kelly M , Clemens Jan , Berman Gordon J , Murthy Mala
Published: June 2015

Many animal species, including insects, are capable of acoustic duetting, a complex social behavior in which males and females tightly control the rate and timing of their courtship song syllables relative to each other. The mechanisms underlying duetting remain largely unknown across model systems. Most studies of duetting focus exclusively on acoustic interactions, but the use of multisensory cues should aid in coordinating behavior between individuals. To test this hypothesis, we develop Drosophila virilis as a new model for studies of duetting. By combining sensory manipulations, quantitative behavioral assays, and statistical modeling, we show that virilis females combine precisely timed auditory and tactile cues to drive song production and duetting. Tactile cues delivered to the abdomen and genitalia play the larger role in females, as even headless females continue to coordinate song production with courting males. These data, therefore, reveal a novel, non-acoustic, mechanism for acoustic duetting. Finally, our results indicate that female-duetting circuits are not sexually differentiated, as males can also produce ‘female-like’ duets in a context-dependent manner.
Stereo photogrammetry reveals substantial drag on cloud thermals
Authors: Romps David M. , Öktem Rusen
Published: June 2015

Stereo photogrammetry, which uses two synchronized cameras to measure three‐dimensional positions, is applied here to ascertain whether drag plays a role in the ascent of cloud thermals. In particular, stereo cameras are used to measure the sizes and speeds of cloud thermals in Florida. Using the vertical momentum equation, it is found that a substantial amount of drag (a drag coefficient on the order of 1) is needed to match both the stereo‐photogrammetric data and the known buoyancy of clouds from previous in situ measurements and large‐eddy simulations. Empirical data on form drag and theoretical calculations of wave drag reveal that, for the observed Froude numbers of cloud thermals, a drag coefficient of about one is to be expected.