bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Efficient Luminescence from Fluorene‐ and Spirobifluorene‐Based Lanthanide Complexes upon Near‐Visible Irradiation
Authors: Bottaro Gregorio , Rizzo Fabio , Cavazzini Marco , Armelao Lidia , Quici Silvio
Published: March 2014

We describe herein the synthesis and photophysical characterization of new lanthanide complexes that consist of a (9,9‐dimethylfluoren‐2‐yl)‐2‐oxoethyl or a (9,9′‐spirobifluoren‐2‐yl)‐2‐oxoethyl unit as the antenna, covalently linked to a 1,4,7,10‐tetraazacyclododecane‐1,4,7‐triacetic acid (DO3A) unit as the Ln3+ (Gd3+, Eu3+, Sm3+, Tb3+, Dy3+) coordination site. We were able to translate the spectroscopic properties of the innovative bipartite ligands into the formation of highly luminescent europium complexes that exhibit efficient emission (ϕse>0.1) upon sensitization in the near‐visible region, that is, with an excitation wavelength above 350 nm. The luminescence of the Eu3+complexes is clearly detectable at concentrations as low as 10 pM. Furthermore, the structural organization of these bipartite ligands makes the complexes highly soluble in aqueous solutions and chemically stable over time.
Diazonium Salts as Grafting Agents and Efficient Radical‐Hydrosilylation Initiators for Freestanding Photoluminescent Silicon Nanocrystals
Authors: Höhlein Ignaz M. D. , Kehrle Julian , Helbich Tobias , Yang Zhenyu , Veinot Jonathan G. C. , Rieger Bernhard
Published: March 2014

The reactivity of diazonium salts towards freestanding, photoluminescent silicon nanocrystals (SiNCs) is reported. It was found that SiNCs can be functionalized with aryl groups by direct reductive grafting of the diazonium salts. Furthermore, diazonium salts are efficient radical initiators for SiNC hydrosilylation. For this purpose, novel electron‐deficient diazonium salts, highly soluble in nonpolar solvents were synthesized. The SiNCs were functionalized with a variety of alkenes and alkynes at room temperature with short reaction times.
Palladium‐Catalyzed Stereoselective Intramolecular Oxidative Amidation of Alkenes in the Synthesis of 1,3‐ and 1,4‐Amino Alcohols and 1,3‐Diamines
Authors: Malkov Andrei V. , Lee Darren S. , Barłóg Maciej , Elsegood Mark R. J. , Kočovský Pavel
Published: March 2014

An efficient and practical Pd‐catalyzed intramolecular oxidative allylic amidation provides facile access to derivatives of 1,3‐ and 1,4‐amino alcohols and 1,3‐diamines. The method operates under mild reaction conditions (RT) with molecular oxygen (1 atm) as the sole reoxidant of Pd. Excellent diastereoselectivities were attained with substrates bearing a secondary stereogenic center
Main‐Chain Organometallic Microporous Polymers Bearing Triphenylene–Tris(N‐Heterocyclic Carbene)–Gold Species: Catalytic Properties
Authors: Gonell Sergio , Poyatos Macarena , Peris Eduardo
Published: March 2014

Two triphenylene‐based tris(N‐heterocyclic carbene)–gold–acetylide main‐chain organometallic microporous polymers (MOMPs) were obtained and fully characterized. Both materials show spherical shapes, and their size is highly dependent on the type of acetylene used in the synthetic protocol. The new solids were tested in the catalytic reduction of nitroarenes with NaBH4 and in the three‐component Strecker reaction for the synthesis of α‐aminonitriles, and showed high activity in both processes. Whereas the activity of the solids in the reduction of nitroarenes may be attributed to the formation of Au nanoparticles due to the use of NaBH4 as reducing agent, the activity in the Strecker reaction may originate from the Lewis acidic activation of the ketone or imine on coordination to Au.
Thiazole‐Based γ‐Building Blocks as Reverse‐Turn Mimetic to Design a Gramicidin S Analogue: Conformational and Biological Evaluation
Authors: Legrand Baptiste , Mathieu Loïc , Lebrun Aurélien , Andriamanarivo Soahary , Lisowski Vincent , Masurier Nicolas , Zirah Séverine , Kang Young Kee , Martinez Jean , Maillard Ludovic T.
Published: March 2014

This paper describes the ability of a new class of heterocyclic γ‐amino acids named ATCs (4‐amino(methyl)‐1,3‐thiazole‐5‐carboxylic acids) to induce turns when included in a tetrapeptide template. Both hybrid Ac‐Val‐(R or S)‐ATC‐Ile‐Ala‐NH2 sequences were synthesized and their conformations were studied by circular dichroism, NMR spectroscopy, MD simulations, and DFT calculations. It was demonstrated that the ATCs induced highly stable C9 pseudocycles in both compounds promoting a twist turn and a reverse turn conformation depending on their absolute configurations. As a proof of concept, a bioactive analogue of gramicidin S was successfully designed using an ATC building block as a turn inducer. The NMR solution structure of the analogue adopted an antiparallel β‐pleated sheet conformation similar to that of the natural compound. The hybrid α,γ‐cyclopeptide exhibited significant reduced haemotoxicity compared to gramicidin S, while maintaining strong antibacterial activity.
Reweighting estimators for the additive hazards model with missing covariates
Authors: Hao Meiling , Song Xinyuan , Sun Liuquan
Published: March 2014

Missing covariate data are common in biomedical studies. In this paper, we propose a reweighting method to estimate the regression parameters in the additive hazards regression model when some of the covariates are missing at random. The resulting estimators are shown to be consistent and asymptotically normal. In addition, a lack‐of‐fit test is presented to assess the adequacy of the model with missing covariates. Simulation studies show that the proposed reweighting estimators perform well, and are more efficient than the weighted estimators for the missing covariate effects when the selection probability is small. An application to the mouse leukaemia data is provided.The Canadian Journal of Statistics42: 285–307; 2014 © 2014 Statistical Society of Canada
Small‐Molecule Inhibitors of AF6 PDZ‐Mediated Protein–Protein Interactions
Authors: Vargas Carolyn , Radziwill Gerald , Krause Gerd , Diehl Anne , Keller Sandro , Kamdem Nestor , Czekelius Constantin , Kreuchwig Annika , Schmieder Peter , Doyle Declan , Moelling Karin , Hagen Volker , Schade Markus , Oschkinat Hartmut
Published: March 2014

PDZ (PSD‐95, Dlg, ZO‐1) domains are ubiquitous interaction modules that are involved in many cellular signal transduction pathways. Interference with PDZ‐mediated protein–protein interactions has important implications in disease‐related signaling processes. For this reason, PDZ domains have gained attention as potential targets for inhibitor design and, in the long run, drug development. Herein we report the development of small molecules to probe the function of the PDZ domain from human AF6 (ALL1‐fused gene from chromosome 6), which is an essential component of cell–cell junctions. These compounds bind to AF6 PDZ with substantially higher affinity than the peptide (Ile‐Gln‐Ser‐Val‐Glu‐Val) derived from its natural ligand, EphB2. In intact cells, the compounds inhibit the AF6–Bcr interaction and interfere with epidermal growth factor (EGF)‐dependent signaling.
Elevated hyaluronan and hyaluronan‐mediated motility receptor are associated with biochemical failure in patients with intermediate‐grade prostate tumors
Authors: Rizzardi Anthony E. , Vogel Rachel Isaksson , Koopmeiners Joseph S. , Forster Colleen L. , Marston Lauren O. , Rosener Nikolaus K. , Akentieva Natalia , Price Matthew A. , Metzger Gregory J. , Warlick Christopher A. , Henriksen Jonathan C. , Turley Eva A. , McCarthy James B. , Schmechel Stephen C.
Published: March 2014

BACKGROUND

The clinical course of prostate cancer (PCa) measured by biochemical failure (BF) after prostatectomy remains unpredictable in many patients, particularly in intermediate Gleason score (GS) 7 tumors, suggesting that identification of molecular mechanisms associated with aggressive PCa biology may be exploited for improved prognostication or therapy. Hyaluronan (HA) is a high molecular weight polyanionic carbohydrate produced by synthases (HAS1 through HAS3) and fragmented by oxidative/nitrosative stress and hyaluronidases (HYAL1 through HYAL4, SPAM1) common in PCa microenvironments. HA and HA fragments interact with receptors CD44 and hyaluronan‐mediated motility receptor (HMMR), resulting in increased tumor aggressiveness in experimental PCa models. This study evaluated the association of HA‐related molecules with BF after prostatectomy in GS7 tumors.

METHODS

Tissue microarrays were constructed from a 96‐patient cohort. HA histochemistry and HAS2, HYAL1, CD44, CD44v6, and HMMR immunohistochemistry were quantified using digital pathology techniques.

RESULTS

HA in tumor‐associated stroma and HMMR in malignant epithelium were significantly and marginally significantly associated with time to BF in univariate analysis, respectively. After adjusting for clinicopathologic features, both HA in tumor‐associated stroma and HMMR in malignant epithelium were significantly associated with time to BF. Although not significantly associated with BF, HAS2 and HYAL1 positively correlated with HMMR in malignant epithelium. Cell culture assays demonstrated that HMMR bound native and fragmented HA, promoted HA uptake, and was required for a promigratory response to fragmented HA.

CONCLUSIONS

HA and HMMR are factors associated with time to BF in GS7 tumors, suggesting that increased HA synthesis and fragmentation within the tumor microenvironment stimulates aggressive PCa behavior through HA‐HMMR signaling. Cancer 2014;120:1800–1809. © 2014 American Cancer Society.
The use and effectiveness of rituximab maintenance in patients with follicular lymphoma diagnosed between 2004 and 2007 in the United States
Authors: Nastoupil Loretta J. , Sinha Rajni , Byrtek Michelle , Zhou Xiaolei , Taylor Michael D. , Friedberg Jonathan W. , Link Brian K. , Cerhan James R. , Dawson Keith , Flowers Christopher R.
Published: March 2014

BACKGROUND

The authors examined the “real‐world” effectiveness of rituximab (R) maintenance therapy (R‐maintenance) compared with observation after R‐based induction therapy in patients with previously untreated follicular lymphoma (FL) in the United States.

METHODS

The National LymphoCare Study is a prospective, multicenter, observational study that enrolled > 2700 untreated patients with FL diagnosed from 2004 to 2007 at 265 sites in the United States. Among these, patients who achieved at least stable disease after R‐based induction therapy were eligible for the current analysis. Patients who initiated R‐maintenance within 215 days of completing induction therapy were categorized as the R‐maintenance group, and those who did not initiate therapy during this period were categorized as the observation group. The objective of the current study was to determine the effect of R‐maintenance on progression‐free survival (PFS), time to next treatment (TTNT), and overall survival (OS).

RESULTS

A total of 1439 patients completed R‐based induction therapy, 1186 of whom met all inclusion criteria (541 patients received R‐maintenance and 645 patients were observed). Characteristics that were found to be predictive of receiving R‐maintenance were histology grade (1/2), Ann Arbor stage of disease (III/IV), geographic region (region other than the West), and practice setting (community practice). With a median follow‐up of 5.7 years, R‐maintenance was associated with superior PFS (hazards ratio [HR], 0.68; 95% confidence interval [95% CI], 0.56‐0.84 [P = .0003]) and TTNT (HR, 0.66; 95% CI, 0.52‐0.84 [P = .0007]). No significant difference in OS was observed (HR, 0.81; 95% CI, 0.58‐1.14 [P = .23]).

CONCLUSIONS

R‐maintenance in patients with FL and at least stable disease after R‐based induction therapy provided significantly longer PFS and TTNT in comparison with observation, but no significant difference in OS was observed with 5‐years of follow‐up. This comparative effectiveness study aligns with the results of randomized trials suggesting that similar outcomes occur with R‐maintenance in FL with the treatment variations observed in clinical practice. Cancer 2014;120:1830–1837. © 2014 The Authors. Cancer published by Wiley Periodicals, Inc. on behalf of American Cancer Society.
The Pt‐Enriched PtNi Alloy Surface and its Excellent Catalytic Performance in Hydrolytic Hydrogenation of Cellulose
Authors: Liang Guanfeng , He Limin , Arai Masahiko , Zhao Fengyu
Published: March 2014

Ni‐based catalysts are currently a subject of intense research in the hydrolytic hydrogenation of cellulose. We previously reported that Ni/ZSM‐5 catalyst gave high yield of hexitols. However, Ni‐based catalysts suffered fast deactivation in hot‐compressed water. In this follow‐up study we designed highly active Ni‐based bimetallic catalysts with excellent hydrothermal stability for the hydrolytic hydrogenation of microcrystalline cellulose. PtNi/ZSM‐5 shows a 76.9 % yield of hexitols, which is the best obtained so far in the hydrolytic hydrogenation of microcrystalline cellulose over Ni‐based catalysts. Furthermore, the yield of hexitols remained greater than 55 % after the catalyst was reused for 4 times. The results showed that PtNi nanoparticles were formed with a Pt‐enriched alloy surface as confirmed by XRD, H2‐TPR (temperature‐programmed H2 reduction), XPS (X‐ray photoelectron spectroscopy), and H2‐TPD (temperature‐programmed H2 desorption). The surface features of these nano‐particles were characterized by CO‐TPD (temperature‐programmed CO desorption), CO‐FTIR (CO adsorption FTIR spectroscopy), HRTEM (high resolution TEM), and O2‐TPO (temperature programmed oxidation) and this special surface structure may be responsible for the high activity, selectivity, and stability in the hydrolytic hydrogenation of cellulose in hot‐compressed water.
Selective Glycerol Oxidation by Electrocatalytic Dehydrogenation
Authors: Kim Hyung Ju , Lee Jechan , Green Sara K. , Huber George W. , Kim Won Bae
Published: March 2014

This study demonstrates that an electrochemical dehydrogenation process can be used to oxidize glycerol to glyceraldehyde and glyceric acid even without using stoichiometric chemical oxidants. A glyceric acid selectivity of 87.0 % at 91.8 % glycerol conversion was obtained in an electrocatalytic batch reactor. A continuous‐flow electrocatalytic reactor had over an 80 % high glyceric acid selectivity at 10 % glycerol conversion, as well as greater reaction rates than either an electrocatalytic or a conventional catalytic batch reactor.
Detectability of new psychoactive substances, ‘legal highs’, in CEDIA, EMIT, and KIMS immunochemical screening assays for drugs of abuse
Authors: Beck Olof , Rausberg Linnea , Al‐Saffar Yasir , Villen Tomas , Karlsson Lennart , Hansson Therese , Helander Anders
Published: March 2014

The increasing number of new psychoactive substances made available for recreational drug use has created a challenge for clinical toxicology and drug testing laboratories. As a consequence, the routine immunoassay drug testing may become less effective due to an increased occurrence of false negative and false positive screening results. This work aimed to extend the knowledge about analytical cross‐reactivity of new substances in selected CEDIA, EMIT, and KIMS immunoassays for drugs‐of‐abuse screening. Urine standards were prepared by spiking blank urine with 45 new substances. Authentic urine samples from intoxication cases identified by liquid chromatography‐tandem mass spectrometry (LC‐MS/MS) were also studied. Several new psychoactive substances were demonstrated to display cross‐reactivity in the immunoassays. CEDIA Amphetamine/Ecstasy and EMIT d.a.u. Amphetamine Class tests showed the highest reactivity towards the new drugs, which was expected since many have amphetamine‐like structure and activity. In the samples from authentic cases, five new substances displayed 100% detection rate in the CEDIA Amphetamine/Ecstasy test. In conclusion, cross‐reactivity data in routine urine drug screening immunoassays for a number of new psychoactive substances not studied before were reported. In both spiked and authentic urine samples, some new substances showed significant cross‐reactivity and are thus detectable in the routine screening methods. Copyright © 2014 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Hydrophobia of gymnosperms: myth or reality? A global analysis
Authors: Kozlowski Gregor , Stoffel Markus , Bétrisey Sébastien , Cardinaux Léonard , Mota Matteo
Published: March 2014

According to the classical textbooks, the gymnosperms are the only seed plants without aquatic species. Recently, however, a set of virtually complete compilations on gymnosperms has been published, enabling a new evaluation of the putative hydrophobia of gymnosperms. This synthesis aims at portraying the relation of all extant gymnosperm species to aquatic and wetland habitats. We present a database of all 986 extant gymnosperm species with their ecological characteristics including 291 cycads, 80 gnetophytes, one ginkgophyte and 614 conifers. We define four categories reflecting the level of hydrophobia and hydrophily of all species and their possible adaptation to wetlands and/or aquatic habitats. Eighty‐two percent (805) of the extant species of gymnosperms are clearly hydrophobic, but 18% (180) are classified as hydrophilic. The podocarp Retrophyllum minus is the only obligate inhabitant of aquatic habitats. This contribution classifies gymnosperms into four categories in reference to their physiological and morphological adaptation to a moisture gradient. It relativizes the putative hydrophobia of gymnosperms and provides new perspectives for research on gymnosperms. Copyright © 2014 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Fluorescence lifetime excitation cytometry by kinetic dithering
Authors: Li Wenyan , Vacca Giacomo , Castillo Maryann , Houston Kevin D. , Houston Jessica P.
Published: March 2014

Flow cytometers are powerful high‐throughput devices that capture spectroscopic information from individual particles or cells. These instruments provide a means of multi‐parametric analyses for various cellular biomarkers or labeled organelles and cellular proteins. However, the spectral overlap of fluorophores limits the number of fluorophores that can be used simultaneously during experimentation. Time‐resolved parameters enable the quantification of fluorescence decay kinetics, thus circumventing common issues associated with intensity‐based measurements. This contribution introduces fluorescence lifetime excitation cytometry by kinetic dithering (FLECKD) as a method to capture multiple fluorescence lifetimes using a hybrid time‐domain approach. TheFLECKDapproach excites fluorophores by delivering short pulses of light to cells or particles by rapid dithering and facilitates measurement of complex fluorescence decay kinetics by flow cytometry. Our simulations demonstrated a resolvable fluorescence lifetime value as low as 1.8 ns (±0.3 ns) with less than 20% absolute error. Using theFLECKDinstrument, we measured the shortest average fluorescence lifetime value of 2.4 ns and found the system measurement error to be ±0.3 ns (SEM), from hundreds of monodisperse and chemically stable fluorescent microspheres. Additionally, we demonstrate the ability to detect two distinct excited state lifetimes from fluorophores in single cells usingFLECKD. This approach presents a new ability to resolve multiple fluorescence lifetimes while retaining the fluidic throughput of a cytometry system. The ability to discriminate more than one average fluorescence lifetime expands the current capabilities of high‐throughput and intensity‐based cytometry assays as the need to tag one single cell with multiple fluorophores is now widespread.
Structural polymorphism analysis of Chinese Mongolian ethnic group revealed by a new STR panel: Genetic relationship to other groups
Authors: Gao Ying , Han Jun‐Tao , Shen Chun‐Mei , Wu Hua , Yuan Guo‐lian , Zhao Li‐Jun , Yan Jiang‐Wei , Meng Hao‐Tian , Zhang Yu‐Dang , Liu Wen‐Juan , Wang Hong‐Dan , White Richard E. , Wei Xing
Published: March 2014

Mongolian is the eighth largest ethnic minority on Chinese population data according to the 2010 census. In the present study, we presented the first report about the allelic frequencies and forensic statistical parameters at the 21 new STRs and analyzed linkage disequilibrium of pairwise loci in the Mongolian ethnic minority, China. Hardy–Weinberg equilibrium tests demonstrated no significant deviations except for the D1S1627 locus. The cumulative power of discrimination and power of exclusion of all the loci are 0.9999999999999999992576 and 0.9999997528, respectively. The results of analysis of molecular variance showed that significant differences between the Mongolian and the other eight populations were found at 1‐9 STR loci. In population genetics, the results of principal component analysis, structure analysis, and phylogenetic reconstruction analysis indicated shorter genetic distance between the Mongolian group and the Ningxia Han. All the results suggest that the 21 new STR loci will contribute to Chinese population genetics and forensic caseworks in the Mongolian group.
Environmental sustainability of countries using the UN MDG indicators by multivariate statistical methods
Authors: Sengupta Debalina , Mukherjee Rajib , Sikdar Subhas K.
Published: March 2014

The objective of the article is to show that indicator aggregation coupled with the use of a multivariate statistical analysis applied to the environmental sustainability indicator data of the UN Millennium Goals (MDG) can allow important inferences to be made. Goal 7 of the UN MDG aims to assess environmental sustainability by ten indicators, the dominant among them being emissions of carbon dioxide equivalent. The data is available over a period of 20 years. We used an aggregate index method to combine the various indicator values into a single index, and studied the trends of countries over the years. We have also compared among two arbitrarily chosen groups of OECD and non‐OECD countries, and shown how these countries have performed among themselves and as a combined group over the time period. Using the multivariate statistical method of Partial Least Squares Variable Importance in Projection (PLS‐VIP), we showed how to find the key indicators from the larger set and their relative importance over the years. Important results from our research include ranking of countries according to their overall environmental performance in a particular group. The PLS‐VIP method showed that certain indicators have shifted in their importance in influencing their overall environmental performance, while others have remained relatively insignificant over the 20‐year period. 2014 American Institute of Chemical Engineers Environ Prog, 2014 © 2014 American Institute of Chemical Engineers Environ Prog, 34: 198–206, 2015
Tracking sediment provenance and erosional evolution of the western Greater Caucasus
Authors: Vezzoli Giovanni , Garzanti Eduardo , Vincent Stephen J. , Andò Sergio , Carter Andrew , Resentini Alberto
Published: March 2014

This article investigates landscape characteristics and sediment composition in the western Greater Caucasus by using multiple methods at different timescales. Our ultimate goal is to compare short‐term versus long‐term trends in erosional processes and to reconstruct spatio‐temporal changes in sediment fluxes as controlled by partitioning of crustal shortening and rock uplift in the orogenic belt. Areas of active recent uplift are assessed by quantitative geomorphological techniques [digital elevation model (DEM) analysis of stream profiles and their deviation from equilibrium] and compared with regions of rapid exhumation over longer time intervals as previously determined by fission‐track and cosmogenic‐nuclide analyses. Complementary information from petrographic and heavy‐mineral analyses of modern sands and ancient sandstones is used to evaluate erosion integrated throughout the history of the orogen. River catchments displaying the highest relief, as shown by channel‐steepness indices, correspond with the areas of most rapid exhumation as outlined by thermochronological data. The region of high stream gradients is spatially associated with the highest topography around Mount Elbrus, where sedimentary cover strata have long been completely eroded and river sediments display the highest metamorphic indices and generally high heavy‐mineral concentrations. This study reinforces the suggestion that the bedrock–channel network can reveal much of the evolution of tectonically active landscapes, and implies that the controls on channel gradient ultimately dictate the topography and the relief along the Greater Caucasus. Our integrated datasets, obtained during a decade of continuing research, display a general agreement and regularity of erosion patterns through time, and consistently indicate westward decreasing rates of erosional unroofing from the central part of the range to the Black Sea. Copyright © 2014 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Factors affecting rill erosion of unpaved loess roads in China
Authors: Cao Longxi , Zhang Keli , Liang Yin
Published: March 2014

This study explores factors that affect road surface erosion in a small watershed on the Loess Plateau. Global positioning system (GPS)‐assisted field surveys and geographical information system methods were applied. The results show that road surface rills in the watershed are more easily formed on main roads, which are disturbed by intensive human activities. Secondary unpaved road networks occupied the largest road surface area and contributed 49% of the total road surface rill volumes. Spatial analysis reveals that roads near residential areas or leading to other human‐disturbed land‐use types are at high risk of soil loss. In each road segment, slope gradient, road segment length and drainage area have impacts on surface rill formation and development. Among these factors, slope gradients have been verified as a controlling factor of rill erosion intensification. Both road segment length (R = 0.83,N = 82) and drainage area (R = 0.72 for road segment and 0.76 for upslope drainage areas,N = 82) significantly influence total road surface rill volumes. The interaction variable of road segment length multiplied by slope is more closely correlated with road segment soil loss than that of the independent variables alone. Linear equations composed of slope gradient, road segment length and upslope drainage area are proposed. The new equation performs much better at predicting surface soil loss from secondary road segments compared with the previous models, which have not considered upslope drainage areas. The relationships and equations from this study will be helpful for road erosion evaluation in a small watershed of the study area. Copyright © 2014 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
An Approach to the Option Market Model Based on End‐User Net Demand
Authors: Sasaki Hiroshi
Published: March 2014

In this paper, we study financial option prices and their related topics in terms of demand‐pressure effects of options contracts. Deriving equilibrium demand pressures for options, we provide an explicit representation of the pricing kernel in equilibrium between the supply and demand for options, which is a function of those of equilibrium demand pressures. On the basis of the demand‐based pricing kernel in equilibrium derived from our model setup, we provide some important implications for empirical evidence that have been provided in recent studies related to option pricing anomalies. © 2014 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Jrl Fut Mark 35:476–503, 2015
Copy number alterations and neoplasia‐specific mutations in MELK, PDCD1LG2, TLN1, and PAX5 at 9p in different neoplasias
Authors: Sarhadi Virinder Kaur , Lahti Leo , Scheinin Ilari , Ellonen Pekka , Kettunen Eeva , Serra Massimo , Scotlandi Katia , Picci Piero , Knuutila Sakari
Published: March 2014

Genetic alterations affecting 9p are commonly present in many cancer types and many cancer‐related genes are located in this chromosomal region. We sequenced all of the genes located in a 32Mb region of 9p by targeted next generation sequencing (NGS) in 96 patients with different cancer types, including acute lymphoblastic leukemia, bone malignant fibrous histiocytoma/undifferentiated pleomorphic sarcoma, fibrosarcoma, Ewing's sarcoma, and lung carcinoma. Copy number alterations (CNA), and mutations were studied from the NGS data. We detected a deletion at the CDKN2A locus as being the most frequent genetic alteration in all cancer types. In addition to this locus, NGS also identified other small regions of copy number loss and gain. However, different cancer types did not reveal any statistically significant differences with regard to CNA frequency or type. Of the 191 genes within the target region, two novel recurrent mutations were found in the MELK and PDCD1LG2 genes. The most commonly mutated gene in sarcomas was TLN1 (8%) and PAX5 in ALL (9%). Mutations in PAX5, and RUSC2, were seen exclusively in ALL patients and those in KIAA1432, CA9, TLN1, and MELK only in sarcomas (MFH, FS, EFT). Thus using targeted NGS of the 9p region, in addition to commonly deleted CDKN2A locus, we were able to identify a number of small deletions and gains, as well as novel recurrent mutations in different cancer types. © 2014 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.
Thymic stromal lymphopoietin is expressed in the intact central nervous system and upregulated in the myelin‐degenerative central nervous system
Authors: Kitic Maja , Wimmer Isabella , Adzemovic Milena , Kögl Nikolaus , Rudel Antonia , Lassmann Hans , Bradl Monika
Published: March 2014

Thymic stromal lymphopoietin (TSLP) is an epithelial cytokine expressed at barrier surfaces of the skin, gut, nose, lung, and the maternal/fetal interphase. At these sites, it is important for the generation and maintenance of non‐inflammatory, tissue‐resident dendritic cell responses. We show here that TSLP is also expressed in the central nervous system (CNS) where it is produced by choroid plexus epithelial cells and astrocytes in the spinal cord. Under conditions of low‐grade myelin degeneration, the numbers of TSLP‐expressing astrocytes increase, and microglia express transcripts for the functional TSLP receptor dimer indicating that these cells are targets for TSLP in the myelin‐degenerative CNS. GLIA 2014;62:1066–1074
Social support in late life mania: GERI‐BD
Authors: Beyer John L. , Greenberg Rebecca L. , Marino Patricia , Bruce Martha L. , Al Jurdi Rayan K. , Sajatovic Martha , Gyulai Laszlo , Mulsant Benoit H. , Gildengers Ariel , Young Robert C.
Published: March 2014

Objective

Using the database of the National Institute of Mental Health‐sponsored acute treatment of late life mania study (GERI‐BD), we assessed the role of social support in the presentation of late life bipolar mania.

Methods

In the first 100 subjects randomized in geriatric BD, we explored the demographic, clinical, and social support characteristics (assessed using the Duke Social Support Index) and aspects of manic presentation. We selected two dependent variables: symptom severity, as determined by the Young Mania Rating Scale (YMRS) at baseline, and duration of episode. We selected nine potential independent variables on the basis of Pearson correlation coefficients. We derived two final models using multiple regression analysis employing an iterative process.

Results

In our severity model, being married was associated with a higher YMRS score (p = 0.05), whereas higher social interaction scores with non‐family members were associated with a lower YMRS score (p = 0.011). In the episode duration model, longer duration was associated with a higher Hamilton Depression Rating Scale score (p = 0.03) and higher social interaction scores with non‐family members (p = 0.0003), younger age (p = 0.04), higher number of persons in one's family social network (p = 0.017), and higher instrumental support scores (p = 0.0062).

Conclusions

In late life mania, more social interaction with one's community appears to be associated with less severe symptoms at presentation for treatment, however, it can also be associated with slightly longer the duration of episode. Two aspects of the Duke Social Support Index are associated with a shorter episode duration prior to seeking treatment: being part of a larger family network and a having a higher level of instrumental support prior to treatment. The Instrumental Support Subscale measures the degree of assistance that is available for the respondent in performing daily tasks. These findings suggest that in older adults with BD, close social interactions and support are important in limiting the length of the illness episode prior to treatment. Social interactions involving non‐family members may be less important in moderating the intensity of the symptoms at presentation. Copyright © 2014 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Attention‐network specific alterations of structural connectivity in the undamaged white matter in acute neglect
Authors: Umarova Roza M. , Reisert Marco , Beier Tanja‐Ute , Kiselev Valerij G. , Klöppel Stefan , Kaller Christoph P. , Glauche Volkmar , Mader Irina , Beume Lena , Hennig Jürgen , Weiller Cornelius
Published: March 2014

Visual neglect results from dysfunction within the spatial attention network. The structural connectivity in undamaged brain tissue in neglect has barely been investigated until now. In the present study, we explored the microstructural white matter characteristics of the contralesional hemisphere in relation to neglect severity and recovery in acute stroke patients. We compared age‐matched healthy subjects and three groups of acute stroke patients (9 ± 0.5 days after stroke): (i) patients with nonrecovered neglect (n = 12); (ii) patients with rapid recovery from initial neglect (within the first week post‐stroke,n = 7), (iii) stroke patients without neglect (n = 17). We analyzed the differences between groups in grey and white matter density and fractional anisotropy (FA) and used fiber tracking to identify the affected fibers. Patients with nonrecovered neglect differed from those with rapid recovery by FA‐reduction in the left inferior parietal lobe. Fibers passing through this region connect the left‐hemispheric analogues of the ventral attention system. Compared with healthy subjects, neglect patients with persisting neglect had FA‐reduction in the left superior parietal lobe, optic radiation, and left corpus callosum/cingulum. Fibers passing through these regions connect centers of the left dorsal attention system. FA‐reduction in the identified regions correlated with neglect severity. The study shows for the first time white matter changes within the spatial attention system remote from the lesion and correlating with the extent and persistence of neglect. The data support the concept of neglect as disintegration within the whole attention system and illustrate the dynamics of structural‐functional correlates in acute stroke.Hum Brain Mapp 35:4678–4692, 2014. ©2014 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.
Natural Language in Banking
Authors: Harris Mary Dee
Published: March 2014

The purpose of this paper is to investigate the use of natural language technology in banking applications. The paper provides a brief review of natural language systems and technologies and then a summary of some of the banking systems that use natural language. The integration of natural language into broader‐based bank information systems is also discussed.
Rafting the River: A Risk Management Expert System for Dynamic Problem Solving
Authors: Bimson Kent D. , Burris Linda Boehm , Terrel James A.
Published: March 2014

Commercial project management systems focus on preproject planning and after‐the‐fact documentation, but not on the dynamic problem solving required in day‐to‐day project management. Yet the need for risk‐oriented management is clear. To understand and control project risks, managers must be able to identify problems as they occur, immediately assess their downstream impacts, and plan a course of action. The Advanced Risk Management System (ARMS) is a prototype system built to address the issues of identifying, analyzing, prioritizing, monitoring, and controlling project risk. ARMS uses expert systems, data base management, and hypermedia technologies to capture and classify project schedule problems, to determine their semantic impacts to future activities, and to alert appropriate project personnel in advance of problem occurrence.
FRACAS: A Computerized Aid for Reasoning in Tax
Authors: Jacob Varghese S. , Turner Joanne H.
Published: March 2014

Problem solving in the tax domain requires two kinds of knowledge: of the law itself and of how the law has been applied in the past. The need for the second factor arises as a result of the ambiguity of natural language. The problem solver requires information on how the courts have adjudicated specific cases in the past. This information would then provide the basis for reasoning about the current case. In this paper we address the issue of developing a system which will retrieve relevant historical cases. The cases are stored using a frame representation scheme and the users can retrieve cases by specifying either attributes alone or attributes and values associated with them. Currently the system has been implemented in Pascal on a Cray. The case base contains 250 cases relating to Section 183 of the tax code.
A Global Approach to Identifying Expert System Applications in Compensation Practice
Authors: Michaelsen Robert H. , Bayer Frieda A. , Swigger Kathleen M.
Published: March 2014

This paper reports the results of a study to determine the most cost‐effective expert system application for the compensation practice of a large employee benefits consulting firm. The purpose of the expert system would be to help assure quality and consistency in practice and to assist in the training of less experienced experts. The study utilized a questionnaire to solicit input from experts in several locations. The questionnaire included a comprehensive listing of firm compensation tasks. Evaluation characteristics selected for the study emphasized business‐related characteristics. Because of adverse economic circumstances in the consulting firm, the decision concerning an initial expert systems application was deferred.
Integration of Intelligent Systems and Conventional Systems: Requirements for Co‐ordinating Multiple Agents for Diagnostic Decisions
Authors: O'Leary Daniel E. , Watkins Paul R.
Published: March 2014

This paper describes the development of an integrated intelligent (expert) system and conventional information system to support decision making of a diagnostic decision in a multi‐agent environment. It argues that many a priori requirements for the information system can be elicited by accounting for the specific nature of the diagnostic decision and for the single/multiple‐actor environment. This finding is generalized to a framework that indicates that a priori requirements take into account the basic theories on which the information system supporting the decision task is ultimately based. In particular, attention is focused on the nature of the task (e.g. diagnostic), whether the application is for a single‐ or multiple‐agent situation and the nature of the multi‐agent structure (e.g. product or functional form of organization).
Assisting Inexperienced Accountants in Developing Financial Statements
Authors: Back B.
Published: March 2014

Finnish accounting regulation allows firms a lot of discretion in affecting net profit, e.g. via tax depreciation on fixed assets and changes in untaxed reserves. The Tax Authorities use the net profit as a basis when calculating taxes for the period. This means that tax planning plays a central role in developing financial statements. The planning requires a lot of expertise and is often a difficult and time‐consuming task, especially for less experienced accountants. The author has built a knowledge‐based system to aid in developing the financial statements for limited companies. The usability of the system for inexperienced accountants has been tested and the system and the test conducted is described. The results of the test show that the system is of considerable help for inexperienced accountants.
The Uses of Advanced Information Technology in Audit Planning
Authors: Murphy David , Brown Carol E.
Published: March 2014

Expert systems, intelligent databases and other forms of advanced information technology are quickly becoming pervasive tools in accounting and auditing. All the major public accounting firms are either using such systems in their auditing practice or have them under development. This paper describes the use of several systems used for audit planning. These are divided into three functional areas: audit risk assessment, internal control evaluation and audit program development. The advantages and disadvantages of these systems as they relate to auditing are discussed.
An Audit Framework for Expert Systems
Authors: McKee Thomas E.
Published: March 2014

Expert systems moved from research laboratories to widespread use in the business world during the previous decade. Current data indicate that use will continue to increase in the foreseeable future. However, auditors have not comprehensively addressed the need for and feasibility of independent audits of these systems. This paper discusses factors that will soon create a demand for independent audits of expert systems. It then identifies a framework present in current professional standards that appears to be appropriate for proceeding with the auditing of expert systems. A hypothetical case is subsequently presented to illustrate one possibility of how measurement criteria, audit procedures and an audit report developed under these professional standards might appear. Potential practice problems and research issues are identified throughout the paper.
A Comparative Analysis of Inductive‐Learning Algorithms
Authors: Chung Hyung‐Min Michael , Tam Kar Yan
Published: March 2014

Recently there has been an increasing interest in applying inductive learning algorithms to generate rules/patterns from a given example set. While such approaches serve as an efficient way of resolving the knowledge‐acquisition bottleneck, their predictive accuracy, which is the popular measure of performance, varies widely. This paper contrasts major inductive‐learning algorithms and examines their performance with two performance measures: the predictive accuracy and the representation language. Experiments involved three inductive‐learning algorithms and five different managerial tasks in construction project assessment and bankruptcy‐prediction domains. The test results indicate that the model performance is dependent on tasks with an exception of the neural network model and that there is a an effect of group proportion in the example set used to construct the model. The neural network approach presents relatively stable predictive power across different task domains, although it is difficult to interpret its representation.
Proactive or Reactive: An Analysis of the Effect of Agent Style on Organizational Decision‐making Performance
Authors: Lin Zhiang , Carley Kathleen
Published: March 2014

This paper addresses the issue of agent style—proactive and reactive—from a theoretical perspective. The results show that agent style, though often considered key in decision making, only affects the organization's performance when the organization is under moderate time pressure. Further, the effect of agent style depends on the type of training given to organizational agents and the internal condition under which the organization operates. This research suggests that, when resources are scarce, organizations should spend these resources on organizational design and on increasing the accuracy of incoming information rather than on altering the agents' style.
Recognizing and Revising Unconvincing Explanations
Authors: Quilici Alex
Published: March 2014

Expert system explanations sometimes fail to satisfy their users. The standard assumption is that these failures arise because the user did not completely understand the system's explanation. However, users may also be left unsatisfied because they are unconvinced by the explanation provided. Advice‐giving systems should therefore eventually be extended to recognize when and why an explanation has failed to convince the user and to elaborate or revise explanations to make them more convincing. This paper provides an initial model of this process for systems that give advice about choosing between multiple alternatives for accomplishing a particular task. In particular, we discuss the model underlying a prototype system to advise novice computer users about how best to accomplish tasks on the UNIX operating system.
Scheduling Shipbuilding Using a Constraint Directed Graph Search: DAS‐ERECT
Authors: Lee Jae Kyu , Choi Hyung Rim , Yang Ok Ryul , Kim Ho Dong
Published: March 2014

To build a scheduling system for shipbuilding, we have adopted a hierarchical architecture and developed a constraint directed graph search technique for erection scheduling at the dock. First, in the hierarchical architecture, detailed schedules for the lower‐level assembly plants are delegated to the individual plant's schedulers as long as the requirements from the higher‐level scheduler are satisfied. However, if lower‐level scheduling is impossible, the higher‐level scheduler attempts to adjust the original requirements. Second, in the constraint directed graph search, the concepts of graph expansion and constraint directed pruning are amalgamated into an algorithm. The approaches are implemented in the DAS‐ERECT system which is a sub‐system of the DAS project undertaken for the Daewoo Shipbuilding Company.
Unifying Rule Induction and Rule Refinement—Towards Discovering Anomaly from Granville's Law in a Stock Market Technical Analysis
Authors: Yamaguchi Takahira , Tachibana Yoshiaki
Published: March 2014

This paper discusses a framework for refining an initial object‐level rule base with a rule induction to learn meta‐level rules which find a data set applicable to an object‐level rule. A rule induction process such as ID3 tries to learn meta‐level rules and classifies given training data sets into positive data sets and negative ones. The rule refinement process tries to refine an initial object‐level rule base on classified data sets by using four refinement strategies. Unifying these two processes, one can obtain a refined object‐level rule base with high performance where a meta‐level rule selects a data set applicable to it. In order to evaluate the framework, an experiment on real Japanese stock price data shows that a refined object‐level rule base, which comes from the initial object‐level rule base for representing Granville's Law, has a performance beyond that of the average stock price. The performance is difficult for human technical analysts in a stock market to achieve. The result implies that the framework could create an anomaly from Granville's Law in a stock market technical analysis.
APX: An Integrated Knowledge‐Based System to Support Audit Planning
Authors: Bharadwaj Anandhi , Karan Vijay , Mahapatra Radha K. , Murthy Uday S. , Vinze Ajay S.
Published: March 2014

Auditors who must express an opinion on the financial statements of publicly held enterprises must perform a series of risk assessments as the basis for selecting appropriate audit procedures to be performed. Although many auditing expert systems have been developed for individual components of the audit risk assessment process such as inherent and control risk assessment, none integrate these assessments to arrive at the ultimate objective of assessing the allowable level of detection risk which drives audit procedure selection. This paper discusses critical design concerns for audit planning expert systems in light of the integrated nature of the steps involved in the audit planning process. The design and development of an integrated audit planning expert system called APX (Audit Planning eXpert) is also discussed. A distinguishing feature of APX is that it not only performs the individual types of risk assessments but it also integrates the resulting assessments to arrive at allowable detection risk. The knowledge acquisition and system development process are described to illustrate some of the mechanics of developing such a system.