bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Report on the 7th international workshop on models@run.time
Authors: Bencomo Nelly , Blair Gordon , Götz Sebastian , Morin Brice , Rumpe Bernhard
Published: January 2013

The 7th edition of the workshop Models@run.time was held at the 15th International Conference on Model Driven Engineering Languages and Systems (MODELS). The workshop took place in the city of Innsbruck, Austria, on the 2nd of October 2012. The workshop was organised by Nelly Bencomo, Gordon Blair, Sebastian Götz, Brice Morin and Bernhard Rumpe. It was attended by at least 48 people. In this report we present a synopsis of the presentations and breakout discussions that took place during the workshop.
Exploring initial challenges for green software engineering
Authors: Lago Patricia , Kazman Rick , Meyer Niklaus , Morisio Maurizio , Müller Hausi A. , Paulisch Frances
Published: January 2013

The GREENS workshop provides a forum for practitioners and academics to share knowledge, ideas, practices and current results related to green and sustainable software engineering. This first workshop was held at ICSE 2012 in Zurich, Switzerland. It featured a keynote talk, twelve research position statements and two breakout sessions that discussed topics that ranged from bringing sustainability and energy efficiency into all software lifecycle stages, to green measures and estimations, practices, notations, and tools to both greening the software engineering process, and greening the resulting Information and Communication Technology systems. This report presents the themes of the workshop, summarizes the results of the discussions held in the breakout sessions, as well as the identified research challenges.
Convergence of a Particle-Based Approximation of the Block Online Expectation Maximization Algorithm
Authors: Le Corff Sylvain , Fort Gersende
Published: January 2013

Online variants of the Expectation Maximization (EM) algorithm have recently been proposed to perform parameter inference with large data sets or data streams, in independent latent models and in hidden Markov models. Nevertheless, the convergence properties of these algorithms remain an open problem at least in the hidden Markov case. This contribution deals with a new online EM algorithm that updates the parameter at some deterministic times. Some convergence results have been derived even in general latent models such as hidden Markov models. These properties rely on the assumption that some intermediate quantities are available in closed form or can be approximated by Monte Carlo methods when the Monte Carlo error vanishes rapidly enough. In this article, we propose an algorithm that approximates these quantities using Sequential Monte Carlo methods. The convergence of this algorithm and of an averaged version is established and their performance is illustrated through Monte Carlo experiments.
Efficient MCMC for Binomial Logit Models
Authors: Fussl Agnes , Frühwirth-Schnatter Sylvia , Frühwirth Rudolf
Published: January 2013

This article deals with binomial logit models where the parameters are estimated within a Bayesian framework. Such models arise, for instance, when repeated measurements are available for identical covariate patterns. To perform MCMC sampling, we rewrite the binomial logit model as an augmented model which involves some latent variables called random utilities. It is straightforward, but inefficient, to use the individual random utility model representation based on the binary observations reconstructed from each binomial observation. Alternatively, we present in this article a new method to aggregate the random utilities for each binomial observation. Based on this aggregated representation, we have implemented an independence Metropolis-Hastings sampler, an auxiliary mixture sampler, and a novel hybrid auxiliary mixture sampler. A comparative study on five binomial datasets shows that the new aggregation method leads to a superior sampler in terms of efficiency compared to previously published data augmentation samplers.
Adaptive Equi-Energy Sampler
Authors: Schreck Amandine , Fort Gersende , Moulines Eric
Published: January 2013

Markov chain Monte Carlo (MCMC) methods allow to sample a distribution known up to a multiplicative constant. Classical MCMC samplers are known to have very poor mixing properties when sampling multimodal distributions. The Equi-Energy sampler is an interacting MCMC sampler proposed by Kou, Zhou and Wong in 2006 to sample difficult multimodal distributions. This algorithm runs several chains at different temperatures in parallel, and allow lower-tempered chains to jump to a state from a higher-tempered chain having an energy “close” to that of the current state. A major drawback of this algorithm is that it depends on many design parameters and thus, requires a significant effort to tune these parameters.

In this article, we introduce an Adaptive Equi-Energy (AEE) sampler that automates the choice of the selection mecanism when jumping onto a state of the higher-temperature chain. We prove the ergodicity and a strong law of large numbers for AEE, and for the original Equi-Energy sampler as well. Finally, we apply our algorithm to motif sampling in DNA sequences.
Particle Algorithms for Optimization on Binary Spaces
Authors: Schäfer Christian
Published: January 2013

We discuss a unified approach to stochastic optimization of pseudo-Boolean objective functions based on particle methods, including the cross-entropy method and simulated annealing as special cases. We point out the need for auxiliary sampling distributions, meaning parametric families on binary spaces, which are able to reproduce complex dependency structures, and illustrate their usefulness in our numerical experiments. We provide numerical evidence that particle-driven optimization algorithms based on parametric families yield superior results on strongly multimodal optimization problems while local search heuristics outperform them on easier problems.
Self-Avoiding Random Dynamics on Integer Complex Systems
Authors: Hamze Firas , Wang Ziyu , de Freitas Nando
Published: January 2013

This article introduces a new specialized algorithm for equilibrium Monte Carlo sampling of binary-valued systems, which allows for large moves in the state space. This is achieved by constructing self-avoiding walks (SAWs) in the state space. As a consequence, many bits are flipped in a single MCMC step. We name the algorithm SARDONICS, an acronym for Self-Avoiding Random Dynamics on Integer Complex Systems. The algorithm has several free parameters, but we show that Bayesian optimization can be used to automatically tune them. SARDONICS performs remarkably well in a broad number of sampling tasks: toroidal ferromagnetic and frustrated Ising models, 3D Ising models, restricted Boltzmann machines and chimera graphs arising in the design of quantum computers.
Probabilistic prediction of protein phosphorylation sites using classification relevance units machines
Authors: Menor Mark , Baek Kyungim , Poisson Guylaine
Published: January 2013

Phosphorylation is an important post-translational modification of proteins that is essential to the regulation of many cellular processes. Although most of the phosphorylation sites discovered in protein sequences have been identified experimentally, the
in vivo
and
in vitro
discovery of the sites is an expensive, time-consuming and laborious task. Therefore, the development of computational methods for prediction of protein phosphorylation sites has drawn considerable attention. In this work, we present a kernel-based probabilistic Classification Relevance Units Machine (CRUM) for
in silico
phosphorylation site prediction. In comparison with the popular Support Vector Machine (SVM) CRUM shows comparable predictive performance and yet provides a more parsimonious model. This is desirable since it leads to a reduction in prediction run-time, which is important in predictions on large-scale data. Furthermore, the CRUM training algorithm has lower run-time and memory complexity and has a simpler parameter selection scheme than the Relevance Vector Machine (RVM) learning algorithm.

To further investigate the viability of using CRUM in phosphorylation site prediction, we construct multiple CRUM predictors using different combinations of three phosphorylation site features -- BLOSUM encoding, disorder, and amino acid composition. The predictors are evaluated through cross-validation and the results show that CRUM with BLOSUM feature is among the best performing CRUM predictors in both cross-validation and benchmark experiments. A comparative study with existing prediction tools in an independent benchmark experiment suggests possible direction for further improving the predictive performance of CRUM predictors.
Summary-based data-flow analysis that understands regular composite objects and iterators
Authors: Tang Xiaolong , Järvi Jaakko
Published: January 2013

Today's industrial-strength compilers do not take advantage of the semantics of user-defined types and operations when analyzing code involving objects of user-defined types. We show that user-defined types that are both "regular" and "composite" (roughly corresponding to what is casually known as "value semantics") can, however, be analyzed efficiently and effectively. The notion of regularity comes from generic programming and C++. Programmers routinely rely on regularity when reasoning about generic code and manually performing (optimizing) code transformations and rewrites. Stepanov suggests that compilers, too, should take advantage of regularity to expand the opportunities for applying optimizing transformations. This paper exploits the properties of regular composite objects to produce concise procedure summaries for summary-based analyses, thus taking a step towards Stepanov's goal. In addition to regularity and compositeness, we also make our analysis aware of the prevalent "iterator" abstraction, which expands the applicability of our approach. We target the C++ language, and use the LLVM framework to implement the analysis.
A multi-controller architecture for high-performance solid-state drives
Authors: Liao Jhih-Jian , Wu Chin-Hsien
Published: January 2013

A solid-state drive consists of controllers and NAND flash memory chips, and each chip is controlled by one controller. Since each controller is responsible for a fixed number of chips, it can't control other chips that don't belong to it. Therefore, some idle controllers can't access other chips that don't belong to them, and it will reduce system performance. In this paper, we will propose a multi-controller architecture for high-performance solid-state drives. With the design, any chip will not be restricted to any specific controller, and any idle controller can access any chip. The experimental results show that the proposed method can improve system throughput of 25% when compared with traditional solid-state drives, and the incurred overhead is also reasonable.
Multilanguage Semantic Interoperability in Distributed Applications
Authors: Poggi Agostino , Tomaiuolo Michele
Published: January 2013

JOSI is a software framework that tries to simplify the development of such kinds of applications both by providing the possibility of working on models for representing such semantic information and by offering some implementations of such models that can be easily used by software developers without any knowledge about semantic models and languages. This software library allows the representation of domain models through Java interfaces and annotations and then to use such a representation for automatically generating an implementation of domain models in different programming languages (currently Java and C++). Moreover, JOSI supports the interoperability with other applications both by automatically mapping the domain model representations into ontologies and by providing an automatic translation of each object obtained from the domain model representations in an OWL string representation.
Clinical Guidelines and Management of Ankyloglossia with 1-Year Followup: Report of 3 Cases
Authors: Bhattad Mayur S. , Baliga M. S. , Kriplani Ritika
Published: January 2013

The tongue is an important oral structure that affects speech, position of teeth, periodontal tissue, nutrition, swallowing, nursing, and certain social activities. Ankyloglossia (tongue tie) is a congenital anomaly characterized by an abnormally short, thick lingual frenulum which affects movement of tongue. Though the effect of ankyloglossia in general appears to be a minor condition, but a major difference exists concerning the guidelines for tongue-tie division. There are no accepted practical criteria for the management of such condition, and hence this paper aims at bringing all the compilation in examination, diagnosis, treatment, and management of tongue tie together for better clinical approach.
Analysis of Transient Dynamic Behaviour of Spherical Cavity in Viscoelastic Soil Medium
Authors: Dwivedi J. P. , Singh V. P. , Lal Radha Krishna
Published: January 2013

Stress, displacement, and pore pressure of a partially sealed spherical cavity in viscoelastic soil condition have been obtained in Laplace transform domain. Solutions of axisymmetric surface load and fluid pressure are derived.
Using the Electroretinogram to Understand How Intraocular Pressure Elevation Affects the Rat Retina
Authors: Bui Bang V. , He Zheng , Vingrys Algis J. , Nguyen Christine T. O. , Wong Vickie H. Y. , Fortune Brad
Published: January 2013

Intraocular pressure (IOP) elevation is a key risk factor for glaucoma. Our understanding of the effect that IOP elevation has on the eye has been greatly enhanced by the application of the electroretinogram (ERG). In this paper, we describe how the ERG in the rodent eye is affected by changes in IOP magnitude, duration, and number of spikes. We consider how the variables of blood pressure and age can modify the effect of IOP elevation on the ERG. Finally, we contrast the effects that acute and chronic IOP elevation can have on the rodent ERG.
Generalized Contractive Set-Valued Maps on Complete Preordered Quasi-Metric Spaces
Authors: Marín J. , Romaguera S. , Tirado P.
Published: January 2013

By using a suitable modification of the notion of a w-distance we obtain some fixed point results for generalized contractive set-valued maps on complete preordered quasi-metric spaces. We also show that several distinguished examples of non-metrizable quasi-metric spaces and of cones of asymmetric normed spaces admit w-distances of this type. Our results extend and generalize some well-known fixed point theorems.
Conceptual Integration and Measurement of Epistemological and Ontological Beliefs in Educational Research
Authors: Schraw Gregory
Published: January 2013

This paper examines the conceptualization and measurement of epistemological and ontological phenomena and makes recommendations for improving the conceptual framework and methodological assessment of these phenomena. I discuss the ways educational researchers have studied beliefs and how this research can be improved through a comprehensive conceptual framework and better measurement. This paper provides definitions of epistemological and ontological beliefs and world views, discusses six complementary strategies for assessing these beliefs, compares the strengths of these strategies, and provides examples of how they have been used in the research literature. This paper discusses challenges related to the development of a comprehensive theoretical framework for beliefs, as well as ways to improve measurement of these beliefs and summarizes six emergent themes.
Massive Ascites as the Only Sign of Ovarian Juvenile Granulosa Cell Tumor in an Adolescent: A Case Report and a Review of the Literature
Authors: Ashnagar Azin , Alavi Samin , Nilipour Yalda , Azma Roxana , Falahati Farahnaz
Published: January 2013

Ovarian neoplasms are relatively rare in childhood and adolescence; only 5% to 8% of the cases are of sex cord stromal origin. Granulosa cell tumors are a group of estrogen producing sex cord stromal tumors of the ovary. They occur in 95% of the cases in adults, and only about 5% of the cases, which differ in histologic characteristics, are of juvenile type. A 13-year-old girl is reported who presented with massive abdominal distention and ascites. An abdominopelvic computed tomography scan showed a predominantly cystic mass lesion with septations arising from the left ovary. All tumor markers were normal, but serum inhibin level was increased. The patient underwent mass resection with salpingoophorectomy. Histopathology was compatible with the juvenile granulosa cell tumor. Interestingly, menarche was started in the patient soon after the surgery. To the best of our knowledge, massive ascites as the only clinical manifestation in the juvenile granulosa cell tumor has not reported as yet.
Antibacterial Properties of Titanate Nanofiber Thin Films Formed on a Titanium Plate
Authors: Yada Mitsunori , Inoue Yuko , Noda Iwao , Morita Tomohiro , Torikai Toshio , Watari Takanori , Hotokebuchi Takao
Published: January 2013

A sodium titanate nanofiber thin film and a silver nanoparticle/silver titanate nanofiber thin film formed on the surface of a titanium plate exhibited strong antibacterial activities against methicillin‐resistant Staphylococcus aureus, which is one of the major bacteria causing in‐hospital infections. Exposure of the sodium titanate nanofiber thin film to ultraviolet rays generated a high antibacterial activity due to photocatalysis and the sodium titanate nanofiber thin film immediately after its synthesis possessed a high antibacterial activity even without exposure to ultraviolet rays. Elution of silver from the silver nanoparticle/silver titanate nanofiber thin film caused by the silver ion exchange reaction was considered to contribute substantially to the strong antibacterial activity. The titanate nanofiber thin films adhered firmly to titanium. Therefore, these titanate nanofiber thin film/titanium composites will be extremely useful as implant materials that have excellent antibacterial activities.
Nitrogen Detection in Bulk Samples Using a D-D Reaction-Based Portable Neutron Generator
Authors: Naqvi A. A. , Al-Matouq Faris A. , Khiari F. Z. , Gondal M. A. , Isab A. A. , Khateeb-ur-Rehman  , Raashid M. A. , Dastageer M.
Published: January 2013

Nitrogen concentration was measured via 2.52 MeV nitrogen gamma ray from melamine, caffeine, urea, and disperse orange bulk samples using a newly designed D-D portable neutron generator-based prompt gamma ray setup. Inspite of low flux of thermal neutrons produced by D-D reaction-based portable neutron generator and interference of 2.52 MeV gamma rays from nitrogen in bulk samples with 2.50 MeV gamma ray from bismuth in BGO detector material, an excellent agreement between the experimental and calculated yields of nitrogen gamma rays indicates satisfactory performance of the setup for detection of nitrogen in bulk samples.
Associations between Pulse Wave Velocity, Aortic Vascular Calcification, and Bone Mineral Density in Chronic Hemodialysis Patients and General Population
Authors: Avramovski P. , Janakievska P. , Koneska M. , Sotiroski K. , Sikole A.
Published: January 2013

The aims of this study were to compare PWV, vascular calcification (VC), and bone mineral density (BMD) in chronic hemodialysis patients (CHP) with those of the general population patients (GPP).
We evaluated 60 GPP (aged 57.5 ± 10.9) compared with 80 CHP (aged 59.3±11.8). PWV was determined from time diversity propagation of the carotid and femoral artery by Doppler ultrasound. Lateral lumbar radiography (LLR) of the abdominal aorta was used to determine the overall abdominal aortic calcification (AAC) score. BMD of the hip and the spine was assessed by dual energy X-ray absorptiometry (DEXA). Biochemical parameters (PTH, Ca2+, P, albumin, CRP, etc.) were determined in all participants according to standard laboratory procedures.
The mean PWV was 9.2±2.0 m/s in the GPP and 12.5±2.0 m/s in the CHP. The mean AAC score was as follows: GPP: 2.2±2.69, CHP: 7.98±5.65. The mean BMD at hip was as follow: GPP: 0.875±0.159 (g/cm2), CHP: 0.729±0.147 (g/cm2). In the GPP, PWV correlate with VC (P<0.001), BMD (P<0.001), albumin (P<0.001), and CRP (P=0.004). In the CHP, PWV correlates with VC (P<0.001), BMD (P<0.098), albumin (P<0.094), and CRP (P=0.004). There is a strong inverse correlation between PWV and BMD and between VC and BMD. There is a positive correlation between PWV and VC.
Sex Differences in Presynaptic Density and Neurogenesis in Middle-Aged ApoE4 and ApoE Knockout Mice
Authors: Rijpma A. , Jansen D. , Arnoldussen I. A. C. , Fang X. T. , Wiesmann M. , Mutsaers M. P. C. , Dederen P. J. , Janssen C. I. F. , Kiliaan A. J.
Published: January 2013

Atherosclerosis and apolipoprotein E ε4 (APOE4) genotype are risk factors for Alzheimer’s disease (AD) and cardiovascular disease (CVD). Sex differences exist in prevalence and manifestation of both diseases. We investigated sex differences respective to aging, focusing on cognitive parameters in apoE4 and apoE knockout (ko) mouse models of AD and CVD. Presynaptic density and neurogenesis were investigated immunohistochemically in male and female apoE4, apoE ko, and wild-type mice. Middle-aged female apoE4 mice showed decreased presynaptic density in the inner molecular layer of the dentate gyrus of the hippocampus. Middle-aged female apoE ko mice showed a trend towards increased neurogenesis in the hippocampus compared with wild-type mice. No differences in these parameters could be observed in middle-aged male mice. Specific harmful interactions between apoE4 and estrogen could be responsible for decreased presynaptic density in female apoE4 mice. The trend of increased neurogenesis found in female apoE ko mice supports previous studies suggesting that temporarily increased amount of synaptic contacts and/or neurogenesis is a compensatory mechanism for synaptic failure. To our knowledge, no other studies investigating presynaptic density in aging female apoE4 or apoE ko mice are available. Sex-specific differences between APOE genotypes could account for some sex differences in AD and CVD.
Laryngomalacia Presenting as Recurrent Croup in an Infant
Authors: Elbuluk Osama , Shiba Travis , Shapiro Nina L.
Published: January 2013

Laryngomalacia is a common disease of infancy which can present with atypical symptoms and at an atypical age, causing the diagnosis to often be overlooked. We report a case of a male patient who was diagnosed with laryngomalacia at the age of three months. The patient’s inspiratory stridor resolved within a year, but he went on to develop atypical croup. The patient was later diagnosed with severe laryngomalacia which complicated his “croup-like” symptoms. He subsequently underwent supraglottoplasty with complete resolution of symptoms.
Classification and Progression Based on CFS-GA and C5.0 Boost Decision Tree of TCM Zheng in Chronic Hepatitis B
Authors: Chen Xiao Yu , Ma Li Zhuang , Chu Na , Zhou Min , Hu Yiyang
Published: January 2013

Chronic hepatitis B (CHB) is a serious public health problem, and Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) plays an important role in the control and treatment for CHB. In the treatment of TCM, zheng discrimination is the most important step. In this paper, an approach based on CFS-GA (Correlation based Feature Selection and Genetic Algorithm) and C5.0 boost decision tree is used for zheng classification and progression in the TCM treatment of CHB. The CFS-GA performs better than the typical method of CFS. By CFS-GA, the acquired attribute subset is classified by C5.0 boost decision tree for TCM zheng classification of CHB, and C5.0 decision tree outperforms two typical decision trees of NBTree and REPTree on CFS-GA, CFS, and nonselection in comparison. Based on the critical indicators from C5.0 decision tree, important lab indicators in zheng progression are obtained by the method of stepwise discriminant analysis for expressing TCM zhengs in CHB, and alterations of the important indicators are also analyzed in zheng progression. In conclusion, all the three decision trees perform better on CFS-GA than on CFS and nonselection, and C5.0 decision tree outperforms the two typical decision trees both on attribute selection and nonselection.
Staphylococcus lugdunensisEndocarditis Complicated by Embolism in an 18-Year-Old Woman with Mitral Valve Prolapse
Authors: Pecoraro Rosaria , Tuttolomondo Antonino , Parrinello Gaspare , Pinto Antonio , Licata Giuseppe
Published: January 2013

Staphylococcus lugdunensisis a coagulase-negativestaphylococcus(CNS). It is a major cause of prosthetic valve endocarditis; mitral valve prolapse (MVP) has emerged as a prominent predisposing structural cardiac abnormality. We describe a case ofStaphylococcus lugdunensisendocarditis in an 18-year-old woman with preexisting mitral valve prolapse complaining of fever, a one-month history of continuous-remittent fever ( 38.6°C). The transthoracic echocardiogram revealed large vegetation on the anterior mitral valve leaflet flopping from the atrial side to the ventricular side. Five sets of blood cultures were positive for coagulase-negative staphylococci. During hospitalization, after two weeks of antibiotic therapy, the patient complained of sudden pain in her right leg associated with numbness. Lower limb arterial Doppler ultrasound showed an arterial thrombosis of right common iliac artery. Transfemoral iliac embolectomy was promptly performed and on septic embolusS. lugdunensiswith the same antibiotic sensitivity and the same MIC values was again isolated. Our patient underwent cardiac surgery: triangular resection of the A2 with removal of infected tissue including vegetation. Our case is an example of infective endocarditis byS. lugdunensison native mitral valve in a young woman of 18 with anamnesis valve prolapse.
The Italian National External Quality Assessment Program in Molecular Genetic Testing: Results of the VII Round (2010-2011)
Authors: Censi F. , Tosto F. , Floridia G. , Marra M. , Salvatore M. , Baffico A. M. , Grasso M. , Melis M. A. , Pelo E. , Radice P. , Ravani A. , Rosatelli C. , Resta N. , Russo S. , Seia M. , Varesco L. , Falbo V. , Taruscio D.
Published: January 2013

Since 2001 the Istituto Superiore di Sanità established a quality assurance programme for molecular genetic testing that covers four pathologies: Cystic Fibrosis (CF), Beta Thalassemia (BT), Fragile X Syndrome (FX), and Familial Adenomatous Polyposis Coli (APC). Since 2009 this activity is an institutional activity and participation is open to both public and private laboratories. Seven rounds have been performed until now and the eighth is in progress. Laboratories receive 4 DNA samples with mock clinical indications. They analyze the samples using their routine procedures. A panel of assessors review the raw data and the reports; all data are managed through a web utility. In 2010 the number of participants was 43, 17, 15, 5 for CF, BT, FX, APC schemes respectively. Genotyping results were correct in 96%, 98.5%, 100%, and 100% of CF, BT, FX, and APC samples, respectively. Interpretation was correct in 74%, 91%, 88%, and 60% of CF, BT, FX, and APC reports, respectively; however in most of them it was not complete but a referral to genetic counseling was given. Reports were satisfactory in more than 60% of samples in all schemes. This work presents the 2010 results in detail comparing our data with those from other European schemes.
Acute Renal Failure in Patients with Severe Falciparum Malaria: Using the WHO 2006 and RIFLE Criteria
Authors: Thanachartwet Vipa , Desakorn Varunee , Sahassananda Duangjai , Kyaw Win Ko Ko Yazar , Supaporn Thanom
Published: January 2013

There are limited data on the application of the RIFLE criteria among patients with severe malaria. This retrospective study was conducted by reviewing 257 medical records of adult hospitalized patients with severe falciparum malaria at the Mae Sot General Hospital, Tak province in the northern part of Thailand. The aims of this study were to determine the incidence of acute renal failure (ARF) in patients with severe falciparum malaria and its association with RRT as well as in-hospital mortality. Using the WHO 2006 criteria, ARF was the second most common complication with incidence of 44.7% (115 patients). The requirement for RRT was 45.2% (52 patients) and the in-hospital mortality was 31.9% (36 patients). Using the RIFLE criteria, 73.9% (190 patients) had acute kidney injury (AKI). The requirement for RRT was 11.6% (5 patients) in patients with RIFLE-I and 44.9% (48 patients) in patients with RIFLE-F. The in-hospital mortality gradually increased with the severity of AKI. The requirement for RRT (P<0.05) and the in-hospital mortality (P<0.05) were significantly higher in ARF patients with severe falciparum malaria using both criteria. In conclusion, the RIFLE criteria could be used for diagnosing AKI and predicting outcomes in patients with severe malaria similar to the WHO 2006 criteria.
Cadmium Transport in a Model of Neonatal Intestinal Cells Correlates to MRP1 and Not DMT1 or FPN1
Authors: Öhrvik Helena , Tydén Eva , Artursson Per , Oskarsson Agneta , Tallkvist Jonas
Published: January 2013

Newborns have a higher gastrointestinal uptake of cadmium than adults. In adults, the iron transporters DMT1 and FPN1 are involved in the intestinal absorption of cadmium, while in neonates, the mechanisms for cadmium absorption are unknown. We have investigated possible cadmium transporters in the neonatal intestine by applying a model of immature human intestinal epithelial Caco-2 cells. To mimic the continuous cadmium exposure via diet in neonates, cells were allowed to differentiate for 7 days in medium containing 1 μM CdCl2. A dramatic upregulation of the MT1 gene expression followed cadmium pretreatment, indicating a high sensitivity of the immature cells to cadmium. Cadmium pretreatment increased the basolateral efflux of109Cd, without causing any effects on the passive diffusion of mannitol or the transepithelial electrical resistance. The augmented transport of cadmium was correlated to an upregulation of MRP1 gene expression and increased activity of the efflux protein MRP1. No effects were observed on gene expression of the efflux proteins MRP2 and P-gp or the iron transporters DMT1, DMT1-IRE and FPN1. In conclusion, our data indicate that continuous cadmium exposure increases the absorption of the metal in immature intestinal cells and that MRP1 is involved in the intestinal cadmium absorption in newborns.
DSC and DC Conductivity of Bi2O3 · LiF · B2O3 Glasses
Authors: Arora Susheel , Kundu Virender , Goyal D. R. , Maan A. S.
Published: January 2013

Fluoroborate glasses with Bi2O3 content and having compositions xBi2O3 · (40-x)LiF · 60B2O3 (x = 0, 5, 10, 15, and 20) are prepared using melt-quench technique. DSC characterization is carried out to observe glass transition temperature. Two such temperatures are observed for each of the reported samples. DC conductivity of the reported samples is studied with the variation in temperature from 313 K to 413 K by dividing this range into three regions, namely, low-, intermediate-, and high-temperature regions. DC conductivity responses for these temperature regions are explained using different conductivity models.
A Review on JC Virus Infection in Kidney Transplant Recipients
Authors: Delbue Serena , Ferraresso Mariano , Ghio Luciana , Carloni Camilla , Carluccio Silvia , Belingheri Mirco , Edefonti Alberto , Ferrante Pasquale
Published: January 2013

The polyomavirus (PyV), JC virus (JCV), is a small nonenveloped DNA virus that asymptomatically infects about 80% of healthy adults and establishes latency in the kidney tissue. In case of immunodeficient hosts, JCV can lytically infect the oligodendrocytes, causing a fatal demyelinating disease, known as progressive multifocal leukoencephalopathy (PML). Although the reactivation of another human PyV, BK virus (BKV), is relatively common and its association with the polyomavirus associated nephropathy (PyVAN) following renal transplantation is proven, JCV replication and its impact on graft function and survival are less well studied. Here we describe the biology of JCV and its pathological features and we review the literature regarding the JCV infection analyzed in the setting of transplantations.
Sorafenib in Advanced Hepatocellular Carcinoma: A Nationwide Retrospective Study of Efficacy and Tolerability
Authors: Køstner Anne Helene , Sorensen Morten , Olesen René Krøjgaard , Grønbæk Henning , Lassen Ulrik , Ladekarl Morten
Published: January 2013

Background. Advanced HCC is a clinical challenge with limited treatment options. The multikinase inhibitor sorafenib is the first and only agent showing a survival benefit in these patients. In this study we evaluate the efficacy and tolerability of sorafenib in an unselected patient population. Furthermore we explore the role of alpha‐fetoprotein (αFP) as a potential biomarker for treatment efficacy and correlation to survival. Methods. Seventy‐six patients with advanced HCC, not eligible for locoregional therapy, treated with sorafenib between 2007 and 2009 were included. Followup was until 2011. Results. Patients in PS 0‐1 had a median overall survival (mOS) of 6.2 months, compared to 1.8 months in patients with poorer PS (P = 0.005). Child‐Pugh A patients had a mOS of 6.6 months versus 3.6 months among patients in Child‐Pugh B or C (P = 0.0001). Serum αFP ≥ 200 at baseline was prognostic for a shorter survival. All patients with radiologically verified tumor response and baseline αFP ≥ 200 experienced a significant decline in αFP within the first four weeks of treatment. Conclusion. The survival of patients with advanced HCC treated with sorafenib is dependent on performance status and liver function. Treatment of patients with compromised liver function and poor performance status cannot be recommended. The correlation between αFP and objective tumor response warrants further investigation.
Value of MR and CT Imaging for Assessment of Internal Carotid Artery Encasement in Head and Neck Squamous Cell Carcinoma
Authors: Lodder W. L. , Lange C. A. H. , Teertstra H. J. , Pameijer F. A. , van den Brekel M. W. M. , Balm A. J. M.
Published: January 2013

Objective. This study was conducted to assess the value of CT and MR imaging in the preoperative evaluation of ICA encasement.Methods. Based upon three patient groups this study was performed. Retrospective analysis of 260 neck dissection reports from 2001 to 2010 was performed to determine unexpected peroperative-diagnosed encasement. Two experienced head and neck radiologists reviewed 12 scans for encasement.Results. In four out of 260 (1.5%) patients undergoing neck dissection, preoperative imaging was false negative as there was peroperative encasement of the ICA. Of 380 patients undergoing preoperative imaging, the radiologist reported encasement of the ICA in 25 cases. In 342 cases no encasement was described, 125 of these underwent neck dissection, and 2 had encasement peroperatively. The interobserver variation kappa varied from 0.273 to 1 for the different characteristics studied.Conclusion. These retrospectively studied cohorts demonstrate that preoperative assessment of encasement of the ICA using MRI and/or CT was of value in evaluation of ICA encasement and therefore contributively in selecting operable patients (without ICA encasement), since in only 1.5% encasement was missed. However, observer variation affects the reliability of this feature.
Prognostic Value of Energy Loss Index in Asymptomatic Aortic Stenosis
Authors: Bahlmann Edda , Gerdts Eva , Cramariuc Dana , Gohlke-Baerwolf Christa , Nienaber Christoph A. , Wachtell Kristian , Seifert Reinhard , Chambers John B. , Kuck Karl Heinz , Ray Simon
Published: January 2013

Background—

Aortic valve area index adjusted for pressure recovery (energy loss index [ELI]) has been suggested as a more accurate measure of aortic stenosis (AS) severity, but its prognostic value has not been determined in a prospective study.

Methods and Results—

The relation between baseline ELI and rate of aortic valve events and combined total mortality and hospitalization for heart failure resulting from the progression of AS was assessed by multivariate Cox regression and reclassification analysis in 1563 patients with initial asymptomatic AS in the Simvastatin and Ezetimibe in Aortic Stenosis (SEAS) study. During 4.3 years follow-up, a total of 498 aortic valve events and 181 combined total mortalities and hospitalizations for heart failure caused by the progression of AS occurred. In Cox regression analyses, 1-cm
2
/m
2
lower baseline ELI predicted a 2-fold higher risk both for aortic valve events and for combined total mortality and hospitalization for heart failure independently of baseline peak aortic jet velocity or mean aortic gradient and independently of aortic root size (all
P
<0.05). In reclassification analysis, ELI improved the prediction of aortic valve events by 13% (95% confidence interval, 5–19), whereas the prediction of combined total mortality and hospitalization for heart failure resulting from the progression of AS did not improve significantly.

Conclusions—

In asymptomatic AS patients without known atherosclerotic disease or diabetes mellitus, ELI provides independent and additional prognostic information to that derived from conventional measures of AS severity, suggesting that ELI should be measured in such patients.

Clinical Trial Registration Information—

URL:
http://www.clinicaltrials.gov
. Unique identifier: NCT00092677.
Preeclampsia-Like Symptoms Induced in Mice by Fetoplacental Expression of STOX1 Are Reversed by Aspirin Treatment
Authors: Doridot Ludivine , Passet Bruno , Méhats Céline , Rigourd Virginie , Barbaux Sandrine , Ducat Aurélien , Mondon Françoise , Vilotte Marthe , Castille Johann , Breuiller-Fouché Michelle , Daniel Nathalie , le Provost Fabienne , Bauchet Anne-Laure , Baudrie Véronique , Hertig Alexandre , Buffat Christophe , Simeoni Umberto , Germain Guy , Vilotte Jean-Luc , Vaiman Daniel
Published: January 2013

Preeclampsia (PE) is a common human-specific pregnancy disorder defined by hypertension and proteinuria during gestation and responsible for maternal and fetal morbimortality.
STOX1
, encoding a transcription factor, was the first gene associated with PE as identified by positional cloning approaches. Its overexpression in choriocarcinoma cells mimics the transcriptional consequences of PE in the human placenta. Here, we created transgenic mouse strains overexpressing human
STOX1
. Wild-type female mice crossed with transgenic male mice reproduce accurately the symptoms of severe PE: gestational hypertension, proteinuria, and elevated plasma levels of soluble fms-like tyrosine kinase 1 and soluble endoglin. Placental and kidney histology were altered. Symptoms were prevented or alleviated by aspirin treatment. STOX1-overexpressing mice constitute a unique model for studying PE, allow testing therapeutic approaches, and assessing the long-term effects of the preeclamptic syndrome.
The Financing of the Special Tribunals for Sierra Leone, Cambodia and Lebanon
Authors: Tortora Giorgia
Published: January 2013

The establishment of the hybrid tribunals in Sierra Leone, Cambodia and Lebanon reflected the dissatisfaction of the international community with the criminal tribunals for the Former Yugoslavia and Rwanda. It also represented the attempt to find new models of criminal accountability which could shorten the duration of judicial proceedings, and ensure greater impact on the local societies and greater financial efficiency. This article will provide an overview of how states’ opposition to the ICTs model shaped the decision making process on the final financial and administrative arrangements of the Special Court for Sierra Leone, the Extraordinary Chambers in the Courts of Cambodia and the Special Tribunal for Lebanon. It will also highlight the particular financial and administrative features of each of these institutions. Finally, the article will review the financial support received by the hybrid tribunals so far and the specific measures adopted to address recurring funding shortages.
Sixty-Five Years of International Criminal Justice: The Facts and Figures
Authors: Smeulers Alette , Hola Barbora , van den Berg Tom
Published: January 2013

The international criminal justice system comprises nine international criminal courts and tribunals; six are still operational and three have closed down. On average, they operated for almost nine years apiece and concluded 172 cases in which over 250 judges and 23 chief prosecutors were involved. All in all 745 suspects were indicted, 356 were actually tried and, of these, some 281 defendants were convicted. Currently 34 suspects are on trial and 22 are still at large. The ‘average’ convicted perpetrator is male, aged 40 and a member of a military or paramilitary organisation from Europe, Asia or Africa who is acting on behalf of his government. These are just some of the facts and figures which we present in this article: an overview of the empirical reality of the international criminal justice system which has currently been functioning for just over 65 years.
Understanding Enmity and Friendship in World Politics: The Case for a Diplomatic Approach
Authors: Bjola Corneliu
Published: January 2013

Summary

This article invites diplomatic scholars to a debate about the identity of diplomacy as a field of study and the contributions that it can make to our understanding of world politics relative to international relations theory (IR) or foreign policy analysis (FPA). To this end, the article argues that the study of diplomacy as a method of building and managing relationships of enmity and friendship in world politics can most successfully firm up the identity of the discipline. More specifically, diplomacy offers a specialized form of knowledge for understanding how to draw distinctions between potential allies versus rivals, and how to make and unmake relationships of enmity and friendship in world politics.
Four new species of Anatomidae (Mollusca: Vetigastropoda) from the Indian Ocean (Reunion, Mayotte) and Australia, with notes on a novel radular type for the family
Authors: GEIGER DANIEL L. , SASAKI TAKENORI
Published: January 2013

Four new species of Anatomidae are described: Anatoma herberti n. sp. with strong axial sculpture on the shoulder and base; A. austrolissa n. sp. with almost smooth sculpture except for axial cords in the adumbilical half of the base; A. boucheti n. sp. with sunken protoconch and selenizone that starts after more than one teleoconch I whorl; and A. fl exidentata n. sp. with a highly modifi ed radula, shared only with A. austrolissa, among known anatomid species. Three of the species are only known from the Indian Ocean, while the more deep-water A. austrolissa is known from Reunion Island and New South Wales, Australia. The radula of A. flexidentata and A. austrolissa is strikingly different from that of other Anatomidae and Vetigastropoda in that it has flexible equally-shaped teeth in the central field and filamentous teeth in the marginal fi eld. Similar radular morphologies are known from Calliostomatidae.
Sampling micromolluscs in tropical forests: one size does not fit all
Authors: LIEW THOR-SENG , CLEMENTS REUBEN , SCHILTHUIZEN MENNO
Published: January 2013

Micromolluscs comprise a signifi cant proportion of terrestrial malacofaunas in the tropics. As such, inventories and ecological sampling protocols must endeavor to maximize the capture of micromolluscs. Sampling protocols (i.e., appropriate number of sampling plots) for micromolluscs, however, still require refi nement to improve sampling effectiveness. Apart from describing our recommended sampling protocols for micromolluscs, we compared completeness ratios (as a proxy for sampling effectiveness) and species densities and diversities across different vegetation types (i.e., limestone karst forests [LKFs] and non-limestone karst forest [NKF]) and geographies (i.e., inland and offshore) in Malaysia. Our results showed that completeness ratios at LKFs were signifi cantly higher than NKFs, but no signifi cant differences were detected among plots at inland and offshore localities. In order to optimize resources for sampling micromolluscs, plot sizes at LKFs could therefore be reduced from frequently used 400 m2 plots to 8 m2, while the number of plots at LKFs may range between three to six plots per locality. Having determined that the abundance of micromolluscs in sampling plots was positively correlated with species density, we controlled for abundance and subsequently found no signifi cant differences in micromollusc species diversity between NKFs and LKFs. However, inland localities had signifi cantly higher species diversities than offshore localities. As such, NKFs (due to lower completeness ratios) and offshore localities (due to lower species diversities) probably require more sampling plots to achieve high completeness ratios (and improve sampling effectiveness). Ultimately, the development of a unifi ed sampling strategy must consider variables such as vegetation types and geographies to ensure effective and comparable sampling across a broad array of ecological and geographical situations.
Editors’ Preface
Authors: GEIGER DANIEL L. , RUTHENSTEINER BERNHARD
Published: January 2013

The present volume contains the proceedings from the symposium Micromolluscs: Methodological Challenges – Exciting Results held during the 16th UNITAS Malacologica World Congress of Malacology in Antwerp, Belgium, July 15–20, 2007. For the purpose of this volume, micromolluscs were defi ned as molluscs no larger than 5 mm. Such forms play an important role in a variety of research fi elds, such as origin, phylogeny or biodiversity of the phylum. It is widely recognized that the small molluscan fauna is incredibly diverse and replete with signifi cant discoveries to be made, yet few people work on micromolluscs as they are perceived as being diffi cult to deal with. The former aspect has been demonstrated by the landmark study of Bouchet et al. (2002), while Geiger et al. (2007) provided a fi rst manual for many aspects of working with these small organisms. The world of micromolluscs is still wide open, as is shown here. The contributions cover a wide spectrum of scientifi c aspects ranging from methodological assessments, case studies, to review articles. We aim at encouraging working with micromolluscs and showcasing that the types of discoveries that can be made are well worth the slightly greater effort expended.
First record of Myrrha octodecimguttata (Coleoptera: Coccinellidae) and Epuraea ocularis (Coleoptera: Nitidulidae) from Israel
Authors: RITTNER OZ , NIR ASSAF
Published: January 2013

Myrrha octodecimguttata (Linnaeus, 1758) and Epuraea ocularis Fairmaire, 1849 are recorded from Israel for the first time, both species collected in Shoham Forest.
Anoeconeossa bundoorensis sp. n., a new psyllid (Hemiptera: Psylloidea) from Eucalyptus camaldulensis (Myrtaceae) from Southeast Australia
Authors: TAYLOR GARY S. , FARNIER KEVIN , BURCKHARDT DANIEL , STEINBAUER MARTIN J.
Published: January 2013

Anoeconeossa bundoorensis sp. n. is described from Eucalyptus camaldulensis (Myrtaceae) from southern Victoria in Southeast Australia. It is placed in the A. communis Taylor species-group as the paramere lacks combs of black rods. It differs from other members of the species-group, A. communis and A. bullata Taylor as it lacks an anterobasal expansion on the paramere and from A. unicornuta Taylor as the inner horn-shaped process of the paramere is reduced to a short spine and the apical expansion is more elongate, with a corresponding greater length of equidistant setae. Taxonomically relevant morphological details are illustrated and the species is diagnosed from other eucalypt inhabiting congeners. In-formation on the biology is presented.
An annotated catalog of the Iranian Pyrrhocoridae (Hemiptera: Heteroptera: Pentatomomorpha: Pyrrhocoroidea)
Authors: GHAHARI HASSAN , MOULET PIERRE
Published: January 2013

The species diversity of Pyrrhocoridae is cataloged in this paper. Seven species (from three genera: Aderrhis Bergroth 1906, Pyrrhocoris Fallén 1814, Scantius Stål 1866) are given as the fauna of Iran.