bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Hierarchical QoS Admission Control Mechanism for IEEE 802.16j Mobile Multi-Hop Relay WiMAX Network
Authors: Yusoff Rohaiza , Baba Mohd Dani , Ibrahim Muhammad
Published: January 2014

This chapter presents some performance issues in Worldwide Interoperability for Microwave Access (WiMAX) network and focus on the capability of non-transparent relay in Mobile Multi-Hop Relay (MMR) WiMAX Network. In this work, an admission control mechanism with hierarchy Quality of Service (QoS) is developed for the relay architecture. An open source-based simulator is used to evaluate the three types of QoS classes, which are Unsolicited Grant Access (UGS), Real Time Polling Service (rtPS), and Non-Real Time Polling Service (nrtPS). Two scenarios of non-transparent relay topologies are set up for different numbers of subscribers with different types of QoS application classes. Three performance metrics, which are bandwidth utilization, number of slots used, and number of admitted service flow, are observed and plotted in graph. The results show the hierarchy-based QoS admission control mechanism can enhance the throughput of provided services by 35% compared to the conventional method without the admission control approach.
Scheduling Algorithms and Radio Resource Management in WiMAX
Authors: Sadri Yasser , Norouzibeirami Mohammdhossein
Published: January 2014

The IEEE 802.16 has defined wireless access systems called WiMAX. These systems provide high-speed communications over long distances. To support multimedia applications, some service classes with Quality of Service (QoS) requirements are defined in IEEE 802.16, but the QoS scheduler is not standardized. The scheduling mechanism has a significant effect on the performance of WiMAX systems for use of bandwidth and radio resources. Some scheduling algorithms have been introduced by researchers. This study focuses on scheduling techniques proposed for WiMAX. The authors analyze a number of WiMAX scheduling algorithms in the Point-to-Multi-Point (PMP) mode and highlight their main points.
Analysis of VoIP Traffic over the IEEE 802.16 Protocol
Authors: Ortiz Luis , Rangel Victor , Gomez Javier , Lopez-Guerrero Miguel
Published: January 2014

Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP) is one of the fastest growing applications for the Internet today and is a very important service because mobile users can utilize voice services more cheaply compared with most mobile systems. A crucial application over these networks is VoIP over the Worldwide Interoperability for Microwave Access (WiMAX), which is one of the technologies in Broadband Access Networks based on IEEE 802.16 standards. It provides high throughput broadband connections over long distances, which supports Point to Multi-Point (PMP) wireless access. A hurdle, however, is the number of voice connections that can be supported. Since VoIP requires short end-to-end delays, supporting as many VoIP users as possible in a mobile broadband wireless access network, considering limited radio resources, becomes a very important issue. In this chapter, the authors use a theoretical model and an algorithm to evaluate the performance of some of the most important VoIP codecs.
Entrepreneurial Rhetoric and Business Plan Funding
Authors: Allison Thomas H. , McKenny Aaron F. , Short Jeremy C.
Published: January 2014

How entrepreneurs disclose the blemishes of a new venture to investors may be an indicator of relative riskiness and thus may predict how much funding a venture receives. Drawing from venture funding research, the authors propose that hardship rhetoric will have a curvilinear relationship with investment received by a venture. This hypothesis is supported by an analysis of rhetoric reflecting hardship in the memoranda and business plans of 86 high-technology ventures. In addition, the authors find that concrete language in memoranda is positively related to the amount of capital raised. In sum, this study presents the first examination of how the language used in business plans and communications with potential investors influence venture fundraising.
Image Restoration and the Management of Reputation
Authors: Linsley Philip , Slack Richard , Edkins Alan
Published: January 2014

In September 2007, the directors of United Kingdom-based Northern Rock bank had to engage in crisis management following a run on the bank. The rhetoric of the bank’s pre- and post-crisis press releases is analysed in the chapter, and the findings confirm that the DICTION certainty variable increases post-crisis, and the optimism variable decreases post-crisis. According to the date of departure of the incumbent chief executive, the separation of the post-crisis period reveals additional significant changes in rhetoric. Notably, in the post-crisis period, but prior to the departure of the serving chief executive, the analysis reveals a propensity to: (1) intellectualise problems rather than act upon them, (2) seek to reassure but with an inability to speak ex-cathedra, and (3) make greater use of denial-related language whilst avoiding discussion of hardship matters resulting from the crisis.
Linguistic Certainty in Managerial Announcements
Authors: Demers Elizabeth , Yu Julia
Published: January 2014

This chapter provides a review of the prior literature examining the relations between text-based measures of risk and uncertainty in managerial announcements and various economic measures of risk. The authors also present new empirical analyses examining the antecedents, characteristics of contemporaneous numerical disclosures, and market consequences of linguistic certainty in managerial forecast announcements. The results show that prior forecast accuracy increases the certainty of the diction accompanying management’s current period forecast, that linguistic certainty reinforces the precision of the contemporaneously provided numerical forecast, and that higher levels of managerial textual uncertainty increase the market’s uncertainty regarding the value of the firm. The review of the limited extant literature, together with the new results presented here, suggest numerous additional avenues for further investigation of the economic risk relevance of linguistic measures of uncertainty.
A Review of Textual Analysis in Economics and Finance
Authors: Tudor Carissa L. , Vega Clara
Published: January 2014

This chapter provides an overview of studies in finance and economics that use automated textual analysis algorithms to analyze the informational content of a wide variety of texts, including journalist’s coverage of news events, management-issued statements, and Internet stock message boards. In these studies, researchers quantify qualitative information with one or more of the following textual tone variables: textual negativity, positivity, and uncertainty. The studies show that textual negativity and positivity conveyed by managers and journalists helps predict future firm level and aggregate economic activity. Textual negativity and positivity, in turn, affect asset prices, although the information is sometimes incorporated with some delay. Textual uncertainty of management-issued information is associated with future cash flow volatility and asset price volatility. In contrast, the textual tone of stock market message board postings is, on average, not very informative in explaining asset prices. The use of automated textual analysis algorithms in finance and economics is a relatively new phenomenon and research in this area is expected to continue to grow.
Executives’ Use of Emotional Language and Investor Reactions
Authors: Guo Wei
Published: January 2014

Drawing on theories from social judgment and persuasion, this chapter proposes that investors will be sensitive to the use of emotional language by top executives in their communication. In addition, the effect of emotional language on investors will depend on investors’ prior beliefs about the firm. Using a sample of 8,990 transcripts of presentations by executives of 632 organizations at investor conferences between 2004 and 2010, results support the prediction that executives’ use of emotional language has a significant influence on investors and that different ways of expressing emotion have differential effects on investor judgment. Moreover, the effect of emotional language is stronger when the firm’s uncertainty level is high and growth prospect is low. The results provide insights into how organizations can use language strategically to manage their relationships with stock investors, thereby contributing to a growing literature on symbolic management of organization.
The Content of IMF Staff Reports for Euro Area Countries
Authors: Golubovskaja Lena
Published: January 2014

This chapter analyzes the tone and information content of the two external policy reports of the Internal Monetary Fund (IMF), the IMF Article IV Staff Reports, and Executive Board Assessments for Euro area countries. In particular, the researchers create a tone measure denoted WARNING based on the existing DICTION 5.0 Hardship dictionary. This study finds that in the run-up to the current credit crises, average WARNING tone levels of Staff Reports for Slovenia, Luxembourg, Greece, and Malta are one standard deviation above the EMU sample mean; and for Spain and Belgium, they are one standard deviation below the mean value. Furthermore, on average for Staff Reports over the period 2005-2007, there are insignificant differences between the EMU sample mean and Staff Reports’ yearly averages. Researchers find the presence of a significantly increased level of WARNING tone in 2006 (compared to the previous year) for the IMF Article IV Staff Reports. There is also a systematic bias of WARNING scores for Executive Board Assessments versus WARNING scores for the Staff Reports.
From Words to Integers and Beyond in Corporate Life
Authors: Kabanoff Boris , Hamdan Mahani
Published: January 2014

Drawing upon the chapters from this volume for exemplars, this chapter provides a critical appreciation of Computer-Aided Text Analysis (CATA), a method that analyses texts that occur naturally or are evoked by the researcher, where the underlying approach is usually positivist in nature and the focus is on studying the presence of certain concepts that are inductively or deductively derived, with software playing a key role in identifying and quantifying the presence of concepts in text. The first section considers some of the major characteristics and differences in CATA approaches to issues such as latent vs.manifest content and the interpretation of the content of communications from either a tone or attention perspective. The second considers enduring, widely accepted assumptions about CATA that centre upon the existence of intimate associations between words and underlying psychological constructs, and between word frequencies and the importance or centrality of constructs in cognitive processes. The final section considers enduring challenges and opportunities including the complex and vexed issues of impression management and textual context. The authors conclude that in relation to the study of the language of corporate life, CATA can be viewed as a glass half-full rather than half-empty.
Reliability and Validity in Automated Content Analysis
Authors: Soroka Stuart
Published: January 2014

In light of the research in other chapters in this volume, this chapter considers some of the important and as-yet-unresolved methodological issues in automated content analysis. The chapter focuses on DICTION in particular, but the concerns raised here also apply to automated content analytic techniques more generally. Those concerns are twofold. First, the chapter considers the importance of aggregation for the reliability of content analyses, both human- and computer-coded. Second, the chapter reviews some of the difficulties associated with testing the validity of the kinds of complex (latent) variables on which DICTION is focused. On the whole, the chapter argues that this (and its companion) volume reflect just some of the many possibilities for DICTION-based analyses, but researchers must proceed with a certain amount of caution as well.
Niche and Community Online
Authors: Pente Patti
Published: January 2014

This chapter addresses ethical aspects of digital life by analyzing the idea of niche community from two approaches: through the lens of the inoperable community as theorized by Jean-Luc Nancy (1991, 2000) and through artistic interventionist practices that dig deeply into normative assumptions of neoliberalism, which have been carried online. It considers the nature of digital citizenship by examining creative activities facilitated by DIY (Do-It-Yourself) culture and tactical media intervention. These activities disrupt standard social conventions, and as forms of pedagogy, educators might engage with students about constructive social change within the global potential of digital communication. While stronger connections between formal learning environments and social networking activities are appropriate, the author critiques some of the underlying economic influences on the user/member so that the educational, psychological, and behavioral nature of niche online communities can be considered in light of disruptive artistic activities and subjectivity supported by Nancy’s philosophy.
Gendered Subjectivities and Cyberspace Dialogues in Lebanon
Authors: Rabah Jihan
Published: January 2014

This chapter explores the use of a feminist website that raises awareness about issues related to Lebanese women. By uniting women’s voices via blogging, story narration, and comic strips, the Nasawiya feminists strive to challenge the hegemonic discourses that currently constitute the reality of women from Middle Eastern countries such as Lebanon. The author inspects the discourses in that space and how they articulate the meanings of what is said and cannot be said, thereby conditioning the way gender and citizenship reality is constituted. The author concludes that cyberspace provides a new form of resistance for women in the Arab World. It is a promising advocacy medium for confronting patriarchy and all its intersections, hopefully paving the way for a better future for all citizens.
Women Milbloggers
Authors: Makeyeva Svetlana
Published: January 2014

The presence of feminist thought today is significant in theoretical and philosophical discourses about texts and technologies of text production. In this chapter, the authors raise a discussion about how personal narratives about military life and combat experiences, written and published by women on the Web, should be read and interpreted within the contemporary feminist tradition. The authors approach the minority group of women milbloggers as a diverse community, members of which have already developed complex hierarchies and conflicting gender politics. They provide critical analysis of a selection of blog posts by women milbloggers in which they address the traditionally male/masculine canons, such as military life and war. The authors suggest that Clair Colebrook’s (2000) perspective on the role of the feminist political thought as “contamination” of patriarchal tradition is useful in a critical reading of women’s military blogs today.
Ratchet Head Pedagogy
Authors: Davidson Ann-Louise , Durocher Sylvain
Published: January 2014

This narrative autobiographical study is a tribute to do-it-yourselfers who have long worked on their own, patiently troubleshooting motorcycle-related problems often without having all the information or the parts at hand and frequently without having the proper skills to do so. The authors address a peculiar phenomenon that emerged at the same time as Web 2.0 technologies, deemed to be more social: the capacity for anyone to solve problems that would be otherwise impossible. The specific narratives looked at are the authors’ own experiences with Italian motorcycles and how they learned to customize and tune them through joining asynchronous online discussions. The authors present the context of the study, the theoretical framework inspired by Csikszentmihalyi, Foucault, Freire, Dewey, and Wenger, and the methodology. They make an effort to present the results sequentially so that the reader is given a good sense of their experience. The authors offer a discussion that shows the relationships between their experience and progressive concepts of education, which could be useful for the traditional educational system that is currently adrift.
Citizen In/Action
Authors: Thomas Tieja , Fournier-Sylvester Nicole , Venkatesh Vivek
Published: January 2014

This chapter describes a study that explored how citizens enact their citizenship within one niche online community dedicated to teaching about and supporting issues related to global citizenship. The research highlights the limitations of existing conceptualizations of citizenship paradigms and associated educational programming. In the discussion, the authors suggest that the integration and use of the Internet—specifically the use of forum-based social media platforms—as a curriculum supplement may effectively address the challenges and limitations that exist within traditional citizenship education classrooms.
The Process of Weeding Out
Authors: Sweeny Robert W.
Published: January 2014

This chapter presents a description of the online new media art community, Rhizome, in order to study the relationship between new media artistic production, digital interaction, and online collaborative formations. The author makes use of interviews and works presented by new media artists and theorists in order to assess the structural and conceptual changes that have occurred over the lifespan of the community. Rhizome is further analyzed through the philosophical work of Gilles Deleuze and Felix Guattari, who outline the potential as well as the problematic possibilities found in complex network interactions. The emergent participatory moments facilitated by Rhizome, as well as the institutional blockages that challenge and confront the rhizomatic qualities of this online community structure are brought to bear in the conclusion.
The Online Community of Second Life and the Residents of Virtual Ability Island
Authors: Tzemopoulos Antonia
Published: January 2014

This chapter provides a detailed introduction of Second Life, a three-dimensional environment that operates over the Internet. As the community comes together, it may partake in a wide range of activities and opportunities for pedagogical purposes, as well as socialization, exploration, and creative practice. Within the introduction to this chapter, emphasis is placed on how people from diverse geographical locations join together in an effort to design a virtual environment based on the concept of user-generated content. The author uses a narrative research approach and using her avatar; she provides insight on how issues of community strength unfold and how community challenges are dealt with. Furthermore, various behaviours and actions are explored in greater detail. With this foundation, the rest of the chapter focuses on how a group of friends with disabilities came to discover Second Life. The evolution of Virtual Ability Island, which boasts over 700 community members with and without disabilities, is also examined, particularly looking at how community members contribute to growth and viability in their own personally distinct way.
Unauthorized Comic Book Scanners
Authors: Wershler Darren , Sinervo Kalervo , Tien Shannon
Published: January 2014

This chapter uses theories of circulation, subculture, and materiality to discuss the activities of unauthorized comic book scanners or “pirates,” and the mechanisms by which they structure their community. The discussion is drawn from a body of quantitative data collected by observing the circulation of unauthorized comic scans through several BitTorrent Websites between 2005 and 2012. The authors also examine the public discourse of scanners themselves—showcased through various anonymous interviews—as part of an investigation into the scanners’ identification with a system of ethics that validates their dissemination of unauthorized content in the name of preservation or “digital archiving.” Lastly, the authors propose a methodology for the study of digital media as “space-biased” and circulatory rather than archival. Though comic book scanners may identify themselves as digital archivists, they are somewhat unreliable for actual preservation. However, the ongoing existence of their community, despite the illegal, anonymous, and ephemeral nature of their work, invites one to consider the merits of a knowledge propagation model based on dissemination over preservation.
Perceptions of Identity and Expertise in Heavy Metal Fans within One Online Community of Practice
Authors: Urbaniak Kathryn
Published: January 2014

Identity is central to learning (Wenger, 1998), and identity in online forums can be represented verbally in posts and comments as well as non-verbally through choices such as username, user picture, and signature. How a forum user interacts with others based on their perceptions of another users’ identity and expertise impacts their experiences. This chapter examines informal learning experiences and behaviour based on the perceptions of others for three heavy metal fans within an online forum through a cyber-ethnographic study. This study explores participants’ interactions with both verbal and non-verbal content to form their perceptions of others, including perceptions of expertise. The participants controlled how they interacted with content and other users in a Web 2.0 environment, which impacted the shared construction of knowledge based on their perceptions of identity.
The Dark Ecology of Black Metal
Authors: Wallin Jason J.
Published: January 2014

For as much as an encyclopedic introduction to black metal might constitute a helpful orientation to its history or aesthetic character, what such an introduction fails to account for is the question of what black metal music does, or rather what it might do. This particular question is informed by a fundamental paradox that constitutes the core concern of this chapter. While black metal music has been linked to misanthropic tendencies and a general antipathy toward organized religion and bourgeois social mores (see Steinke, 1996) amongst its practitioners and listeners, it concomitantly functions as a highly particularized “therapeutic” vehicle for negotiating feelings of intense despair, depression, and nihilism. Hence, the question of this chapter attends not to what black metal is—a question that creators of black metal music largely reject—but rather the question of how black metal’s affective force works upon the body of the organism.
Effects of using the Nintendo Wii Fit Plus Platform in the sensorimotor training of gait disorders in Parkinson’s disease
Authors: Gonçalves Giovanna Barros , Leite Marco Antônio A. , Orsini Marco , Pereira João Santos
Published: January 2014

The use of the Nintendo Wii has been considered a good alternative in the motor rehabilitation of individuals with Parkinson’s disease (PD), requiring simultaneous interaction to develop strategies for physical, visual, auditory, cognitive, psychological and social activities in the performing of virtual activities, resulting in improvement in functional performance and gait. The aim of this study was to analyze the effect of virtual sensorimotor activity on gait disorders in people with PD. Fifteen subjects with a clinical diagnosis of PD were submitted to the Unified Parkinson’s Disease Rating Scale (UPDRS III), Schwab and England Activities of Daily Living Scale (SE), Functional Independence Measure (FIM), and biomechanical gait analysis using digital images taken with a video camera before and after the treatment program. The activities with the Nintendo Wii virtual platform were standardized into three categories: aerobics, balance and Wii plus exercises. Participants carried out separate virtual exercises for 40 min, twice a week, for a total of 14 sessions. The program improved sensorimotor performance in PD gait, with an increase in stride length and gait speed, in addition to a reduction in motor impairment, especially in items of rigidity and flexibility of the lower limbs evaluated by UPDRS III, and greater functional independence, as evidenced in the SE and FIM scales. Improvements in items related to locomotion and stair climbing were also observed. The training was effective in motor recovery in chronic neurodegenerative diseases, showing improvement in motor performance and functional independence in individuals with PD.
Sensitivity of eolian processes to climate change in Canada
Authors: Wolfe S A , Nickling W G
Published: January 2014

A relatively good understanding exists of wind erosion and other eolian processes under present-day conditions, but increases in atmospheric CO2 concentrations have raised concerns over the impact of global climate change. Anticipated climate change associated
with increased CO2 concentrations could alter existing ecoclimatic regions in Canada. This, in turn, is likely to affect the distribution and relative intensity of eolian and other geomorphic processes. With regards to the impact of climate change, the sensitivity of sand dunes may be viewed, in a
simplified manner, as a function of vegetation cover and surface soil moisture conditions, while the risk of wind erosion of bare soils may be considered primarily a function of surface soil moisture conditions.

Under a doubling of atmospheric CO2 scenario, sand dunes in the southern regions of Alberta and Saskatchewan would lie in an ecoclimatic region identified as semidesert, and hence would become even more sensitive. Similarly, dune areas of southwestern Ontario would become more sensitive (the
potential for sand dune activity would increase). Under these same hypothetical conditions, the sensitivity of coastal and arctic sand dunes would probably be low. Similarly, the risk of wind erosion of bare agricultural soils would still be greatest and would increase in southern Saskatchewan and
Alberta, and probably would also increase in southwestern Ontario and portions of the Maritimes. Changes in intensity of agriculture, together with modification of cropping and management practices could, however, be used to mitigate against these increased impacts.
A retrospective study of central venous catheters GCRI experience
Authors: Jain Sachin A. , Shukla Shilin N. , Talati Shailesh S. , Parikh Sonia K. , Bhatt Shivani J. , Maka Vinayak
Published: January 2014

Background: The use of central venous catheters (CVCs) has greatly improved the quality-of-care in cancer patients, yet these catheters may cause serious infectious and thrombotic complications. The aim of this retrospective study was to study the various types of CVCs and their complications. Materials and Methods: We studied retrospectively 213 cases of CVCs in our institute with their indications, type and complications from August 2010 to July 2011. Results: A total of 213 CVCs were inserted in patients with hematological (62%) and solid organ malignancies (38%). Ninety-eight patients (46%) had peripheral inserted central catheter (PICC), 90 (42%) patients had Hickman catheters and 25 (12%) had a port. The median duration of retention of Hickman catheters was 104 days (3-365 days), for the peripherally inserted central catheters was 59 days (3-100 days) and for the port it was 280 days (45-365 days). Non-infective complications were more than infective (12% vs. 7%). The most common complication was non-infective occlusion and thrombophlebitis. In one patient with PICC thrombosis occurred in the cephalic, radial and ulnar vein and in one patient with port thrombosis occurred in the superior vena cava. Organisms were isolated in 60% (12 out of 20) of cultures. Common organisms isolated were Pseudomonas aeruginosa in 5 (42%), Staphylococcus aureus in 2 (16%), Escherichia coli in 2 (16%) and Aspergillus in 3 (25%) patients. 7 out of 12 infected patients had negative blood cultures within 7 days of antibiotic treatment, 5 patients remained positive for more than 7 days with antibiotics. In 155 patients (73%), the desired treatment protocol was completed and at present there are still 28 patients (13%) with catheters. 5 patients (2.3%) died of febrile neutropenia and septicemia with multi-organ failure. In 5 patients (2.3%), the catheters (1 Port, 1 Hickman and 3 PICC) were prematurely removed because of thrombosis. Conclusion: CVCs are better options to facilitate the long-term vascular access provided infection is prevented with meticulous care and treated promptly with proper antibiotics. Most CVCs is acceptable to patients.
Malignant lymphoma in Eastern India: A retrospective analysis of 455 cases according to World Health Organization classification
Authors: Mondal Santosh Kumar , Mandal Palash Kumar , Samanta Tarun Kumar , Chakaborty Subrata , Roy Saptarshi Dutta , Roy Shravasti
Published: January 2014

Background: Malignant lymphoma (ML) is one of the most common cancers and is most prevalent in developed countries. The distribution of different subtypes of ML varies in the different geographical locations according to World Health Organization (WHO) Classification. Aims and Objectives : The study was aimed to analyze the different patterns of ML in Eastern India and to compare it with other geographical locations. Materials and Methods: Four hundred and fifty five patients of two large hospitals in Eastern India were included over a period of four years and were categorized according to WHO classification, using the morphology and immunohistochemistry. Results: There were 347 (76.3%) non Hodgkin lymphomas (NHL), and 108 (23.7%) Hodgkin lymphomas (HL). Diffuse large B-cell lymphoma was the most common of the NHL type (35.2%) followed by the follicular lymphoma (19.3%). B-cell lymphoblastic lymphoma was the least common type of NHL (1.4%). Mixed cellularity (33.3%) and nodular sclerosis (26.9%) were the two most common type of HL. Childhood lymphoma comprised of 12.5%of all ML. T-cell NHL and HL were the common lymphomas in this age group. Conclusion: Incidence of follicular lymphoma is lower compared to western studies and mixed cellularity is the most common subtype of HL unlike nodular sclerosis subtype in Western world. Burkitt′s type NHL though is the most common subtype of childhood ML in many studies. However, in our study, T-cell NHL is the most common type of childhood ML.
Needle core biopsy for breast lesions: An audit of 467 needle core biopsies
Authors: Radhakrishna Selvi , Gayathri Anu , Chegu Deepa
Published: January 2014

Background: Breast cancer is the commonest cancer among women in urban India. Triple assessment includes clinical, radiological and cytological assessment of breast lesions. Guided core needle biopsy has replaced fine needle aspiration cytology in most of the western countries. In resource poor countries FNAC is still a very valuable and cost effective method to diagnose breast lesions. Pitfalls include increased rates of non diagnostic smears, and inadequate smears. Further procedures may be required and this increases the cost, anxiety and delay in diagnosis. Aims: The aim of this study is to analyze the concordance of radiological and histopathology findings in BI-RADS category 3,4,5 lesions following a core biopsy. Materials and Methods: Data was retrospectively collected from consecutive symptomatic and opportunistic screen detected patients with abnormalities who underwent ultrasound guided interventional procedures from Jan 2010 to Aug 2011. Symptomatic patients underwent clinical examination, mammogram and breast ultrasound. Women under 35 years of age had only breast ultrasound. Core biopsy was performed under ultrasound guidance or clinically by a breast surgeon/ radiologist for BI-RADS category 3,4,5 lesions. Statistical Methods: Chi square test was done to show the strength of association of imaging findings and histopathology results of core biopsy. Results: 437 patients were symptomatic and 30 patients had screen detected abnormalities. The positive predictive value for BI-RADS 5 lesions for malignancy is 93.25% and the negative predictive value of BI-RADS category 3 lesions for cancer is 98.4%. False negative diagnosis on core biopsy was 0.85%. We were able to defer surgery in 60% of the patients with a clear radiological and pathological benign diagnosis. Conclusion: The PPV and NPV for cancer is high with needle core biopsy in BI-RADS 3,4,5 lesions. Where there is no discordance between clinical, radiology and pathology findings, surgery can be avoided in benign lesions. While in resource poor countries FNAC continues to be a valuable method in the diagnosis of palpable and non palpable breast lesions, the practice of needle core biopsy provides the most accurate and optimal diagnostic information.
Rare childhood tumors in a Turkish pediatric oncology center
Authors: Tacyildiz Nurdan , Özyörük Derya , Yavuz Gülsan , Ünal Emel Cabı , Dinçaslan Handan , Tanyıldız Gülşah Oktay , Gördü Zülfikar , Şıklar Zeynep , Berberoğlu Merih , Öcal Gönül
Published: January 2014

Background: It has been estimated that rare tumor rate is about 15% of all childhood cancer in United States. According to Turkish Pediatric Oncology Group (TPOG) datas, 8889 children were diagnosed between 2002 and 2008 in our country and 3.7% of them were diagnosed as rare tumors. Aim: To investigate the frequency and clinical features of rare tumors in our pediatric oncology center. Materials and Methods: A total of 43 cases that have diagnosed as rare tumor in 574 cancer patients between the yaer 2002 and 2012 were reviewed retrospectively. All cases definitive diagnosis were established by histopathological and immunohistochemical studies. Results: Frequency of rare tumors was 7.4% in our center. Benign and border line rare tumors were 27 (62.7%) cases, malignant rare tumor were 16 (37.2%) cases. Median follow-up period was 48 months (between 1 and 110 months). Six of the malignant rare tumors were died with progressive disease (synovial sarcoma, mixed malignant mesenchymal tumor, undifferentiated sarcoma, plexus choroideus carcinoma, renal peripheral primitive neuroectodermal tumor, adrenocortical carcinoma). Malignant rare tumor mortality rate was found 37.5% in our clinic. Conclusion: We have found that our rare tumor rate (7.4%) was higher than Turkish rare tumor rate (3.7%) according to TPOG′s datas. However, it was still lower than rare tumor rates of western countries (15%), probably due to difficulties of diagnosis and referral problems.
Retrospective analysis of the clinical and demographic variables on the outcomes after second-line treatment in advanced non-small cell lung cancer
Authors: Sau Sourav , Biswas Anirban , Roy Amitava , Sau Saikat , Ganguly Subir
Published: January 2014

Background: Platinum based doublets chemotherapy are the standard of care for metastatic or advanced non-small cell lung carcinoma. This leads to modest survival advantage and improve quality-of-life. However, patients with advanced or metastatic disease eventually present disease progression and needs second-line systemic therapy in a selected group of patients or other supportive measures. There is very little knowledge available from the literature about the prognostic variables in patients, who receive second-line therapy. Materials and Methods: We retrospectively reviewed 329 patients received second-line treatment from July 2007 to September 2011 in the Department of Radiation Oncology, Burdwan Medical College and Hospital. For statistical analysis, 12 potential prognostic variables included. Univariate and multivariate regression analysis carried out to identify the prognostic variables associated with survival. Results: The results of univariate analysis for overall survival (OS) and survival after second-line therapy identified to have prognostic significance: Age, sex, performance status, smoking history, serum lactate dehydrogenase, histopathology, first-line chemotherapy and its response and second-line therapy except the stage at diagnosis and site of failure after first-line therapy. The multivariate Cox regression analysis has shown that only performance and second-line therapy were independent prognostic variables for survival after second-line treatment and above these prognostic factors; age, smoking status and progression free survival also for OS. Conclusion: The performance status has shown consistent result as a prognostic factor in univariate and multivariate analysis for OS and survival after second-line therapy. These findings may also facilitate pretreatment prediction of survival and be used for selecting patients for the correct choice of cytotoxic therapy.
Inflammatory myofibroblastic tumor of kidney with heterotopic bone formation: An unusual case mimicking a renal malignancy
Authors: Navale Pooja , Menon Santosh , Bakshi Ganesh , Pruthy Ritesh , Desai Sangeeta
Published: January 2014

Inflammatory myofibroblastic tumor (IMFT) or pseudotumor is a rare tumor that can be seen in various organs. It is an enigmatic tumor of unknown etiology and difficult to differentiate from malignancy, clinically as well as radiologically. Histologically, it is composed of variable proportions of proliferating spindle myofibroblasts, fibroblasts, extracellular collagen, lymphocytes and plasma cells. This mainly affects the urinary bladder or prostate. Renal involvement is extremely rare and may pose diagnostic difficulty to the clinician. We describe a renal IMFT, mimicking renal malignancy, having unusual histological features.
Hand foot syndrome associated with standard dose cytarabine
Authors: Sharma Atul , Baghmar Saphalta
Published: January 2014

Hand-foot syndrome, is a side effect of cytotoxic chemotherapy, causes erythema, dysthesias, swelling of palms and soles and sometimes blisters. Rarely, it may ulcerate. The most commonly used drug that frequently causes this reaction is 5-fluorouracil or its prodrug oral capecitabine. High dose cytarabine is known to cause HFS. Here we report a case of HFS caused by standard dose cytarabine.
The Biology of Canadian Weeds. 153. Stachys palustris L.
Authors: Darbyshire Stephen J. , Francis Ardath , Mulligan Gerald A. , Graham Gavin L.
Published: January 2014

Darbyshire, S. J., Francis, A., Mulligan, G. A. and Graham, G. 2014. The Biology of Canadian Weeds. 153. Stachys palustris L. Can. J. Plant Sci. 94: 709–722. Marsh hedge-nettle, Stachys palustris, is a perennial Eurasian member of the mint family, which has become naturalized and weedy in some parts of eastern North America. It is a hexaploid member of a holarctic species complex, which differs morphologically from the primarily tetraploid North American forms. The production of fleshy tuberous rhizomes is the most significant distinctive feature. In Canada, it has been a weed of potato and root crops in Nova Scotia, New Brunswick and Prince Edward Island, although other crops and areas, such as soybean in Ontario, are also affected. Usually considered a wetland plant, it readily spreads into drier arable fields from adjacent ditches and wetlands. Several herbicides available for use in Canada have been found to provide limited long-term suppression in agricultural systems, with the best results obtained using combined pre-emergent and post-emergent applications.
La Teoría Social de la Comunicación: su pertinencia para estudiar la relación sistema político-sistema de comunicación pública en los EEUU
Authors: González Martín Olga Rosa , Saladrigas Medina Hilda , Almazán del Olmo Sonia , Valdés-Dapena Vivanco Jacinto
Published: January 2014

Introducción. A partir de una discusión teórica se busca validar la Teoría Social de la Comunicación para comprender cómo se materializa la interdependencia sistema de comunicación pública-sistema político en los Estados Unidos. Metodología. Se utilizaron métodos de investigación teóricos, la investigación bibliográfica y el análisis de contenido a una muestra de 215 journals académicos, documentos gubernamentales e informes de investigación. Resultados. Se analizaron críticamente los modelos que explican la relación sistema político-medios de comunicación y se aplicó la Teoría Social de la Comunicación a la interrelación sistema de comunicación pública-sistema político estadounidense. Discusión. Aunque la Teoría Social de la Comunicación es válida para analizar esa interdependencia anticipamos la necesidad de una evaluación científica más profunda de esta categoría. Conclusiones. Lo más importante de dicha teoría es que le adjudica un papel activo a los medios e incluye dentro del sistema político a otros componentes como partidos, grupos de poder, normas político-jurídicas, valores culturales y procesos ideológicos que tienen una función reguladora en la sociedad.
Where do the air masses between double tropopauses come from?
Authors: Parracho A. C. , Marques C. A. F. , Castanheira J. M.
Published: January 2014

Abstract. An analysis of the origin of air masses that end up between double tropopauses (DT) in the subtropics and midlatitudes is presented. The double tropopauses were diagnosed in the ERA-Interim reanalysis (1979–2010), and the origin of air masses was analysed using the Lagrangian model FLEXPART. Different processes for the formation of double tropopauses (DT) have been suggested in the literature. Some studies have suggested that double tropopauses may occur as a response to the vertical profile of adiabatic heating, due to the residual meridional circulation, while others have put forward contradicting explanations. Whereas some studies have suggested that double tropopauses result from poleward excursions of the tropical tropopause over the extratropical one, others have argued that DTs develop in baroclinic unstable processes involving transport of air from high latitudes. In some regions, the DT structure has a semipermanent character which cannot be explained by excursions of the tropical tropopause alone. However, the results presented in this paper confirm that processes involving excursions of the tropical tropopause over the extratropical tropopause, which are therefore accompanied by intrusions of air from the tropical troposphere into the lower extratropical stratosphere, make a significant contribution for the occurrence of DTs in the subtropics and midlatitudes. Specifically, it is shown that the air between double tropopauses comes from equatorward regions, and has a higher percentage of tropospheric particles and a lower mean potential vorticity.
Influence of cloud processing on CCN activation behaviour in the Thuringian Forest, Germany during HCCT-2010
Authors: Henning S. , Dieckmann K. , Ignatius K. , Schäfer M. , Zedler P. , Harris E. , Sinha B. , van Pinxteren D. , Mertes S. , Birmili W. , Merkel M. , Wu Z. , Wiedensohler A. , Wex H. , Herrmann H. , Stratmann F.
Published: January 2014

Abstract. Within the framework of the international cloud experiment "Hill Cap Cloud Thuringia 2010" (HCCT-2010), the influence of cloud processing on the activation properties of ambient aerosol particles was investigated. Particles were probed up- and downwind of an orographic cap cloud on Mt. Schmücke, which is part of a large mountain ridge in Thuringia, Germany. The activation properties of the particles were investigated by means of size-segregated Cloud Condensation Nuclei (CCN) measurements at 3 to 4 different supersaturations. The observed CCN spectra together with the total particle spectra were used to calculate the hygroscopicity parameter κ for the up- and the downwind stations. The up- and downwind critical diameters and κ values were then compared for defined Cloud Events and Non Cloud Events. Cloud processing was found to significantly increase the hygroscopicity of the aerosol particles, with an average increase in κ of 50%. Mass spectrometry analysis and isotopic analysis of the particles show that the observed increase in hygroscopicity of the cloud-processed particles is due to an enrichment of nitrate and sulfate in the particle phase.
A suite of Early Eocene (~55 Ma) climate model boundary conditions
Authors: Herold N. , Buzan J. , Seton M. , Goldner A. , Green J. A. M. , Müller R. D. , Markwick P. , Huber M.
Published: January 2014

Abstract. We describe a set of Early Eocene (~55 Ma) climate model boundary conditions constructed in a self-consistent reference frame and incorporating recent data and methodologies. Given the growing need for uniform experimental design within the Eocene climate modelling community, we make publically available our datasets of Eocene topography, bathymetry, tidal dissipation, vegetation, aerosol distributions and river runoff. Particularly our Eocene topography and bathymetry has been significantly improved compared to previously utilized boundary conditions. Major improvements include the paleogeography of Antarctica, Australia, Europe, the Drake Passage and the Isthmus of Panama, and our boundary conditions include modelled estimates of Eocene aerosol distributions and tidal dissipation for the first time, both consistent with our paleotopography and paleobathymetry. The resolution of our datasets (1° × 1°) is also unprecedented and will facilitate high resolution climate simulations. In light of the inherent uncertainties involved in reconstructing global boundary conditions for past time periods these datasets should be considered as one interpretation of the available data. This paper marks the beginning of a process for reconstructing a set of accurate, open-access Eocene boundary conditions for use in climate models.
Representation of water abstraction from a karst conduit with numerical discrete-continuum models
Authors: Reimann T. , Giese M. , Geyer T. , Liedl R. , Maréchal J. C. , Shoemaker W. B.
Published: January 2014

Abstract. Karst aquifers are characterized by highly conductive conduit flow paths embedded in a less conductive fissured and fractured matrix, resulting in strong permeability contrasts with structured heterogeneity and anisotropy. Groundwater storage occurs predominantly in the fissured matrix. Hence, most mathematical karst models assume quasi-steady-state flow in conduits neglecting conduit-associated drainable storage (CADS). The concept of CADS considers storage volumes, where karst water is not part of the active flow system but hydraulically connected to conduits (for example karstic voids and large fractures). The disregard of conduit storage can be inappropriate when direct water abstraction from karst conduits occurs, e.g., large-scale pumping. In such cases, CADS may be relevant. Furthermore, the typical fixed-head boundary condition at the karst outlet can be inadequate for water abstraction scenarios because unhampered water inflow is possible. The objective of this work is to analyze the significance of CADS and flow-limited boundary conditions on the hydraulic behavior of karst aquifers in water abstraction scenarios. To this end, the numerical discrete-continuum model MODFLOW-2005 Conduit Flow Process Mode 1 (CFPM1) is enhanced to account for CADS. Additionally, a fixed-head limited-flow (FHLQ) boundary condition is added that limits inflow from constant head boundaries to a user-defined threshold. The effects and the proper functioning of these modifications are demonstrated by simplified model studies. Both enhancements, CADS and FHLQ boundary, are shown to be useful for water abstraction scenarios within karst aquifers. An idealized representation of a large-scale pumping test in a karst conduit is used to demonstrate that the enhanced CFPM1 is able to adequately represent water abstraction processes in both the conduits and the matrix of real karst systems, as illustrated by its application to the Cent Fonts karst system.