bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Cultural Brokerage in Mediated Health Consultations
Authors: Penn Claire , Watermeyer Jennifer , Koole Tom , de Picciotto Janet , Ogilvy Dale , Fisch Mandy
Published: September 2010

The majority of clinical interviews in South Africa take place across cultural and linguistic boundaries and are often mediated by a third party whose role is little understood. This paper will describe a study undertaken in an audiology clinic to characterise features of cultural brokerage in interpreted audiological consultations. Data included recorded interactions and interviews with participants regarding the interactive process. Six mediated interactions were video-recorded, transcribed, translated and analysed in terms of conversation features, based on Conversation Analysis techniques. Linguistic features which appear to reflect cultural brokerage include the phenomena of elaboration and addition performed by interpreters. Participants had some awareness of these phenomena and of the role of the interpreter as cultural broker, but the data suggest that the function of cultural brokerage is not necessarily an explicit one. This has implications for interpreting practice and we derive suggestions for the role of the cultural broker in health care interactions.
Violência contra a pessoa idosa: análise de aspectos da atenção de saúde mental em cinco capitais brasileiras
Authors: Valadares Fabiana Castelo , Souza Edinilsa Ramos de
Published: September 2010

Trata-se de investigação sobre aspectos da atenção à saúde mental ofertada à pessoa idosa vítima de violência nos municípios de Curitiba, Rio de Janeiro, Brasília, Recife e Manaus. Foi utilizada a abordagem de triangulação de métodos a partir da análise de dados secundários, informações de questionários e entrevistas individuais e em grupo, definindo-se como público-alvo profissionais e gestores da atenção à saúde mental. Investigou-se a consonância das práticas desenvolvidas nos serviços em relação às políticas que regem a atenção à saúde mental e as dirigidas às pessoas idosas vítimas de violência. Entre os resultados destacam-se: a disparidade dos registros de atendimento de idosos entre as unidades hospitalares (22,3%) e extra-hospitalares (0,4%); a ausência de informações sobre o atendimento de idosos vítimas de violência; e a incipiente percepção dos profissionais quanto à violência como objeto de intervenção da saúde. Conclui-se pela necessidade de maiores investimentos públicos: na melhoria da qualidade da informação; na adequação da estrutura física dos serviços; na capacitação/habilitação dos profissionais para atenderem às especificidades de saúde do idoso. No aspecto da violência, observou-se a necessidade da adoção de ações de prevenção e atenção dos transtornos mais frequentes em idosos.
Percepção de voz e qualidade de vida em idosos professores e não professores
Authors: Gampel Deborah , Karsch Ursula Margarida , Ferreira Léslie Piccolotto
Published: September 2010

Este artigo tem como objetivos comparar os escores do protocolo de qualidade de vida e voz (QVV) de idosos professores (GP) e não professores (GNP) e verificar a relação entre os escores, a idade cronológica e a percepção da mudança vocal. Método: em 47 sujeitos, 23 GP e 24 GNP, acima de 65 anos, homens e mulheres, foram coletados dados sobre percepção de mudança vocal e aplicado o protocolo QVV. Resultados: não houve diferença significante entre os escores do QVV dos sujeitos GP e GNP, nem relação entre escores e percepção de mudança vocal. A idade cronológica apresentou correlação positiva (p=0,039) com escores do domínio físico para os GP. Para os sujeitos GP e GNP que perceberam a mudança vocal, houve diferença significante nas respostas às questões 2 (p=0,02), 4 (p=0,007), 5 (p=0,012) e 9 (p=0,002). Conclusão: Para ambos os grupos, o impacto das mudanças vocais foi maior no domínio físico do que no socioemocional do QVV. A autopercepção do envelhecimento vocal esteve relacionada à diferença quanto ao uso ou não da voz profissionalmente. Os professores, independentemente dessa percepção, têm maior problema em questões do domínio físico do QVV relacionadas à exigência profissional. Os não professores que perceberam o envelhecimento vocal apresentaram dificuldade em aspectos físicos e socioemocionais.
Impacto da saúde bucal no cotidiano de idosos institucionalizados e não institucionalizados da cidade do Recife (PE, Brasil)
Authors: Souza Eliane Helena Alvim de , Barbosa Maria Bernadete Cavalcanti Bené , Oliveira Pierre Andrade Pereira de , Espíndola Juliane , Gonçalves Karla Joselita
Published: September 2010

Este artigo tem como objetivo avaliar a influência da saúde bucal no cotidiano de idosos institucionalizados e não institucionalizados da cidade do Recife (PE), bem como verificar se a saúde bucal tem a mesma relevância para os dois grupos estudados. Para avaliar a percepção de saúde bucal, utilizou-se o índice Geriatric Oral Health Assessment Index (GOHAI). As faixas do GOHAI foram categorizadas em baixa percepção (<= 50), média ou regular (51 a 60) e alta (57 a 60). As condições de saúde bucal foram representadas pelo índice CPO-D (dentes cariados, perdidos e obturados). Observou-se que o percentual dos que tinham o GOHAI até 50 pontos (baixa percepção de saúde bucal) foi bem elevado no grupo dos não institucionalizados em relação ao grupo dos institucionalizados (92,2% x 64,9%). As médias do CPO-D e do número de dentes perdidos foram correspondentemente mais elevadas no grupo de institucionalizados do que no grupo de não institucionalizados (96,01% x 87,87%). Conclusões: a percepção de saúde bucal foi baixa para mais da metade dos idosos examinados, existindo diferença significante entre os dois grupos em relação à categoria do GOHAI, sendo os valores mais baixos encontrados para o grupo não institucionalizado. O resultado da percepção de saúde foi compatível com o grande número de dentes cariados e perdidos.
Increased Use of Acid‐Suppressing Drugs Before the Occurrence of Ischemic Events: A Potential Source of Confounding in Recent Observational Studies
Authors: Blackburn David F. , Lamb Darcy A. , McLeod Melanie M. , Eurich Dean T.
Published: September 2010

Study Objective. To determine if the use of acid‐suppressing drugs is increased before the occurrence of ischemic events.

Design. Population‐based, nested case‐control analysis.

Data Source. Administrative databases in Saskatchewan, Canada.

Patients. Cases were 1612 patients (aged ≥ 40 yrs) who started a first‐ever antihypertensive drug between January 1, 1994, and December 31, 2003, and were hospitalized for a first ischemic heart event of either myocardial infarction (1002 patients) or unstable angina (610 patients); five control patients were matched to each case patient by age, sex, and year of first antihypertensive prescription (8060 controls).

Measurements and Main Results. Within the case and control groups, we calculated exposure to acid‐suppressing therapy, defined as proton pump inhibitors (PPIs) or histamine2‐receptor antagonists (H2RAs), within 90 days leading up to the event. Exposure to acid‐suppressing therapy was higher among cases than controls (15.3% [246/1612] vs 10.4% [837/8060], adjusted odds ratio [AOR] 1.26, 95% confidence interval [CI] 1.06–1.49, p<0.009). Exposure to each acid suppressant was similarly higher among cases than controls: H2RA users (11.7% [188/1612] vs 8.4% [678/8060], AOR 1.21, 95% CI 1.00–1.46, p<0.048) and PPI users (4.0% [64/1612] vs 2.2% [179/8060], AOR 1.32, 95% CI 0.95–1.84, p=0.094). Use of other drugs was also significantly increased during this period.

Conclusions. Use of acid‐suppressing drugs increased before the occurrence of ischemic events regardless of the type (PPI or H2RA) or whether other drugs, such as clopidogrel, were concurrently administered. In addition, significant increases in overall drug use were observed during this time frame, suggesting that many patients exhibit warning signs before an acute hospitalization. Thus, PPI use before the occurrence of ischemic events may simply be a marker of unmeasured and uncontrolled confounding in observational studies that have implicated a PPI‐clopidogrel interaction as a cause of recurrent ischemic events.
“'Cause I'm a G”: Identity Work of a Lesbian Teen in Language Arts
Authors: Vetter Amy M.
Published: September 2010

Framed around the perspective that identities matter in relation to literacy learning, this case study examined the identity work of June (pseudonym), a lesbian youth in an 11th‐grade high school language arts classroom. Informal interviews with June about her work on a multigenre research project in relation to LGBTQ issues were analyzed using the constant‐comparative method and discourse analysis. Findings indicate that she positioned herself as a reader and writer in new ways because of an assignment that provided her the opportunity to explore her sexuality. I propose that teachers consider making youth's experiences, including LGBTQ experiences, the centerpiece of literacy instruction. More work, however, needs to be done to explore how educators can create curricula and school communities that recognize and celebrate sexual identities as a part of literacy learning.
Writing for the Instant Messaging and Text Messaging Generation: Using New Literacies to Support Writing Instruction
Authors: Sweeny Sheelah M.
Published: September 2010

Writing, for adolescents who live in an age of digital communication, has taken on new importance and plays a prominent role in the way they socialize, share information, and structure communication. New literacies expand the literacy realm by considering the skills needed to function using media other than the printed page. Internet resources can enhance and expand the writing process by focusing on different writing forms or genres, using video clips of authors to serve as writing mentors, explaining and facilitating the editing and revising processes, and providing publishing opportunities for student writers. This article provides a rationale for the use of new literacies in literacy instruction and explores ways teachers can integrate new literacies into existing writing instruction.
Creating State and National Networks for Adolescent Literacy and Coaching: An Interview With Nancy L. Shanklin
Authors: Shanklin Nancy L. , Moore David W.
Published: September 2010

Nancy L. Shanklin, an associate professor at the University of Colorado Denver, is the former director of the Literacy Coaching Clearinghouse, a joint project of the International Reading Association and National Council of Teachers of English. She advocates secondary‐school coaching programs that apply what can be learned from experienced coaches then determine their impacts on teachers' practices and students' achievement. Her development with Colorado educators of a state‐level network promoting adolescent literacy is attracting teachers from outside the state. She believes research on secondary educators' actions relative to Common Core standards and RTI can be productive directions to take. Research also is needed into the language and literacy that students use across the curriculum.
Classic African American Children's Literature
Authors: McNair Jonda C.
Published: September 2010

The purpose of this article is to assert that there are classic African American children's books and to identify a sampling of them. The author presents multiple definitions of the term classic based on the responses of children's literature experts and relevant scholarship. Next, the manner in which data were collected and analyzed in regard to classic African American children's books is explained. Then, three categories are elaborated—universal experiences from an African American perspective, breakthrough books, and literary innovations—in which the African American children's books identified as classics were placed. The article concludes with pedagogical implications and conclusions.
Using Sentence Frames to Develop Academic Vocabulary for English Learners
Authors: Donnelly Whitney Bray , Roe Christopher J.
Published: September 2010

Often, English‐language development (ELD) is taught during a dedicated time of the school day. There is often a mismatch between the content of ELD and the lessons taught during core instruction provided during the remainder of the day. During core instruction, teachers use specially designed academic instruction in English strategies to ensure comprehensible input, but struggle to find ways to incorporate ELD. Content‐based ELD links language learning and academic vocabulary directly to core instruction, and includes four steps: (1) preview the text to determine the core concept, (2) match the concept to the appropriate language function, (3) select and teach academic vocabulary, and (4) develop sentence frames for oral‐language practice that incorporates the language function with the academic vocabulary. Content‐based ELD provides English learners with the language, vocabulary, and structured language practice necessary to think, talk, and write about the concepts that they are expected to comprehend. This article demonstrates how to develop content‐based ELD for social studies.
Final Remediation of Post-Biological Treated Milk Whey Wastewater by Ozone
Authors: Martins Rui C , Quinta-Ferreira Rosa M.
Published: September 2010

This work deals with a real environmental problem related with milk whey wastewater. Even if a high depuration degree can be achieved using aerobic biological processes, the final effluent does not accomplish the legal regulation for disposal. In this context, we studied the application of ozone oxidation after an activated sludge treatment in order to obtain an effluent suitable to be discharged into the natural water courses. Even if the pH increase improved single ozonation efficiency, the treated wastewater was not yet able to be disposed of. The introduction of hydrogen peroxide at low concentrations enhanced the ozone action over the pollutants, and this combination led to residual water within the environmental law conditions to be released on the surroundings. Furthermore, heterogeneous catalytic ozonation over Mn-Ce-O 70/30 (prepared in our laboratory) and the commercial N-150 catalyst (Fe2O3-MnOx) was very efficient on the wastewater depuration. Nevertheless, the high amount of carbon adsorbed on the recovered catalysts disable the industrial implementation of this technology.
Hydrophilic and Hydrophobic Modifications of Microchannel Inner Walls for Liquid-Liquid Laminar Layered Flows
Authors: Yamasaki Yoshikazu , Kariyasaki Akira , Morooka Shigeharu
Published: September 2010

Microchannels, which have a wide surface area per unit volume, have the potential for use in efficient chemical synthesis, separation and analysis. When microchannels are applied to mass transfer operations between immiscible liquids, a layered laminar flow is preferable because the two liquids can be spontaneously separated at the outlets. In this study, the flow of a water-octane system in a horizontal microchannel 200 ?m in width and 200 ?m in depth was simulated using CFD software. The simulation suggested that a stable layered flow was realized when the contact angle of octane on the hydrophobic inner walls was smaller than ca. 60 degrees and when that on the hydrophilic inner walls was larger than ca. 120 degrees irrespective of the inlet planes into which water and octane were introduced. To fulfill these requirements, PMMA plates were modified using five procedures, and the contact angles of one of the liquids were determined in the presence of the counterpart liquid. Measurement of the contact angles was carried out by lateral observation (in the case of spherical cap drops) and the fringe pattern of laser interference (in the case of thin films). When the two liquids coexisted, a combination of modification with 1-octadecanethiol for hydrophobicity and coating with TiO2 for hydrophilicity was the most workable of the treatments tested. Microchannels modified by this combination were then fabricated. When either water or octane were introduced into the hydrophilic and hydrophobic half-sections, respectively, a stable two-phase layered flow was obtained.
A Journey of Critical Consciousness: An Educational Strategy for Health Care Leaders
Authors: Getzlaf Beverley A , Osborne Margaret
Published: September 2010

Healthcare leaders who develop a critical perspective of the relationship between culture and health; value respect for differences, inclusiveness, equity, and social justice; and use their power to enact these values in their spheres of influence, both professionally and personally, are better able to improve care for a diversity of clients. Graduate students can be assisted to develop such a critical perspective through a course designed as a journey of critical consciousness. We describe this journey that takes students through phases of awareness, reflection, and action in which they come to understand the concepts of critical theory and discourse analysis and begin to use these to create changes in their work settings in the direction of equity and social justice. We suggest broader implications for programs and invite readers to begin their own journeys of critical consciousness.
Obesity, Diabetes, and Gut Microbiota
Authors: Musso Giovanni , Gambino Roberto , Cassader Maurizio
Published: September 2010

The connection between gut microbiota and energy homeostasis and inflammation and its role in the pathogenesis of obesity-related disorders are increasingly recognized. Animals models of obesity connect an altered microbiota composition to the development of obesity, insulin resistance, and diabetes in the host through several mechanisms: increased energy harvest from the diet, altered fatty acid metabolism and composition in adipose tissue and liver, modulation of gut peptide YY and glucagon-like peptide (GLP)-1 secretion, activation of the lipopolysaccharide toll-like receptor-4 axis, and modulation of intestinal barrier integrity by GLP-2. Instrumental for gut microbiota manipulation is the understanding of mechanisms regulating gut microbiota composition. Several factors shape the gut microflora during infancy: mode of delivery, type of infant feeding, hospitalization, and prematurity. Furthermore, the key importance of antibiotic use and dietary nutrient composition are increasingly recognized. The role of the Western diet in promoting an obesogenic gut microbiota is being confirmation in subjects. Following encouraging results in animals, several short-term randomized controlled trials showed the benefit of prebiotics and probiotics on insulin sensitivity, inflammatory markers, postprandial incretins, and glucose tolerance. Future research is needed to unravel the hormonal, immunomodulatory, and metabolic mechanisms underlying microbe-microbe and microbiota-host interactions and the specific genes that determine the health benefit derived from probiotics. While awaiting further randomized trials assessing long-term safety and benefits on clinical end points, a healthy lifestyle—including breast lactation, appropriate antibiotic use, and the avoidance of excessive dietary fat intake—may ensure a friendly gut microbiota and positively affect prevention and treatment of metabolic disorders.
An iterative method based on 1D subspace for projective reconstruction
Authors: Liu S. , Peng Y. , Zeng Z. , Han C.
Published: September 2010

Heyden et al. introduced an iterative factorization method for projective reconstruction from image sequences. In their formulation, the projective structure and motion are computed by using an iterative factorization based on 4D subspace. In this paper, the problem is reformulated based on fact that the x, y, and z coordinates of each feature in projective space are known from their projection. The projective reconstruction, i.e., the relative depths w and the 3D motion, is obtained by a simple iterative factorization based on 1D subspace. This allows the use of very fast algorithms even when using a large number of features and large number of frames. The experiments with both simulate and real data show that the method presented in the paper is efficient and has good convergency.
Fault tolerant control of switched nonlinear systems with time delay under asynchronous switching
Authors: Xiang Zhengrong , Wang Ronghao , Chen Qingwei
Published: September 2010

Fault tolerant control of switched nonlinear systems with time delay under asynchronous switching

This paper investigates the problem of fault tolerant control of a class of uncertain switched nonlinear systems with time delay under asynchronous switching. The systems under consideration suffer from delayed switchings of the controller. First, a fault tolerant controller is proposed to guarantee exponentially stability of the switched systems with time delay. The dwell time approach is utilized for stability analysis and controller design. Then the proposed approach is extended to take into account switched time delay systems with Lipschitz nonlinearities and structured uncertainties. Finally, a numerical example is given to illustrate the effectiveness of the proposed method.
Loop profiling tool for HPC code inspection as an efficient method of FPGA based acceleration
Authors: Pietroń Marcin , Russek Paweł , Wiatr Kazimierz
Published: September 2010

Loop profiling tool for HPC code inspection as an efficient method of FPGA based acceleration

This paper presents research on FPGA based acceleration of HPC applications. The most important goal is to extract a code that can be sped up. A major drawback is the lack of a tool which could do it. HPC applications usually consist of a huge amount of a complex source code. This is one of the reasons why the process of acceleration should be as automated as possible. Another reason is to make use of HLLs (High Level Languages) such as Mitrion-C (Mohl, 2006). HLLs were invented to make the development of HPRC applications faster. Loop profiling is one of the steps to check if the insertion of an HLL to an existing HPC source code is possible to gain acceleration of these applications. Hence the most important step to achieve acceleration is to extract the most time consuming code and data dependency, which makes the code easier to be pipelined and parallelized. Data dependency also gives information on how to implement algorithms in an FPGA circuit with minimal initialization of it during the execution of algorithms.
Brain glucose transporter protein 2 and sporadic Alzheimer’s disease
Authors: Šalković-Petrišić Melita , Riederer Peter
Published: September 2010

Sporadic Alzheimer’s disease (sAD) is associated with decreased glucose/energy metabolism in the brain. The majority of glucose utilization in the brain appears to be mediated through glucose transporter protein 1 and 3 (GLUT1 and GLUT3). Deficiency of GLUT1 and GLUT3 in the brain has been found in sAD patients post mortem; however this is not unique to the disease as it is associated with different clinical syndromes as well. In line with recent findings that insulin resistant brain state precedes and may possibly cause sAD, an experimental sAD model based on the central application of the streptozotocin (STZ-icv rat model), which is a selective GLUT2 substrate, has drawn attention to the possible significance of the brain GLUT2 in sAD etiopathogenesis. Important steps in the GLUT2 and sAD interplay are reviewed and discussed. It is concluded that increased vulnerability of GLUT2 expressing neurons may be involved in development of sAD.
Gadolinium released from MR contrast agents is deposited in brain tumors: in situ demonstration using scanning electron microscopy with energy dispersive X-ray spectroscopy
Authors: Xia Daniel , Davis Richard L. , Crawford Judith A. , Abraham Jerrold L.
Published: September 2010

Background: Gadolinium (Gd)-containing MRI contrast agents (GdCA) are widely used in studies of brain tumors, and a number of reports suggest that under certain conditions, such as renal failure, Gd may be released from GdCA into patient's tissues. Whether this may happen in abnormal tissues in the absence of renal failure has not been studied.

Purpose: To test the hypothesis that the local retention of GdCA resulting from brain tumor-associated alterations in the blood–brain barrier (BBB) may result in the deposition of Gd released from the GdCA, depending on stability.

Material and Methods: In this retrospective study, 30 selected brain tumor biopsies from 28 patients (taken before and after an institutional switch from a less stable to an intermediate stable GdCA) were searched for Gd-containing deposits using scanning electron microscopy/energy dispersive X-ray spectroscopy (SEM/EDS). Relevant histories and laboratory results were obtained through institutional electronic records. Associations between the presence of deposits and other variables were tested for statistical significance using the two-tailed Fisher's exact test.

Results: Insoluble deposits containing Gd associated with phosphorus and calcium were found in seven biopsies from five patients. These deposits were found in patients with estimated GFRs above 53 ml/min, and were detected more often in those receiving GdCA before the switch from a less stable to an intermediate stable GdCA ( P = 0.04), and may be more frequent in patients receiving more than one contrast-enhanced MR scan ( P = 0.15).

Conclusion: Gd-containing deposits are present in brain tumors following contrast-enhanced MR scans in patients without severe renal disease. Further studies are needed to assess the clinical importance of the deposits we observed and to determine whether they are also found in other conditions that alter the integrity of the BBB.
Value of Serum Lactate Dehydrogenase Level in the Detection of Hemato-oncological Malignancies and its Response to Induction in Childhood Acute Lymphoblastic Leukemia
Authors: Hafiz Golam , Mannan Abdul , Islam Afiqul , Rahman Matiur , Rahman Atiar , Rahman Fazlur
Published: September 2010

Serum lactate dehydrogenase (LDH) level was estimated in 77 childhood (age range 1- 15 years) hemato-oncological malignancies: acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL), acute myeloid leukemia (AML), Hodgkin's disease (HD) and Non- Hodgkin's lymphoma (NHL) on admission. Serum LDH level was also measured in ALL on day 14 and day 29 of induction. Another 25 children without hemato-oncological malignancies were included as control. On admission, the level of serum LDH was significantly raised in all hematooncological malignancies but the levels was highly significant in ALL than control (p<0.001). Total WBC count was significantly decreased along with serum LDH level on day 14 and day 29 of induction (p<0.001). A significant rise of platelet count was observed on day 29 of induction in relation to significant decrease of serum LDH level (p<0.001). Significant decrease of peripheral and bone marrow blast cell percentages were also observed on day 29 of induction along with significant decrease level of serum LDH (p<0.001). It is observed in this study that serum LDH level was significantly elevated in all hemato-oncological malignancies on admission but the levels were highly significant in ALL patients. Following induction of remission in ALL, level of serum LDH was decreased along with the return of hematological parameters towards normal. So, the measurement of serum LDH level can be accepted as a predictor in diagnosis of hemato-oncological malignancies and prognosis of childhood ALL. Key words: Serum lactate dehydrogenase (LDH); Hemato-oncological malignancies; Induction; Acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL). DOI: 10.3329/bjch.v30i1.6175 Bangladesh J Child Health 2006; VOL 30 (1/2/3) : 1-6
Management of Respiratory Foreign Body- A Twelve Years Experience with 382 Cases
Authors: Chowdhury Golam Mohiuddin Akbar , Haque AKM Akramul , Rahman Zillur , Kabir ARM Luthful , Amin Ruhul , Uddin Nawab Tahsin
Published: September 2010

Objectives: To evaluate the clinico-demographic profile and management of foreign body (FB) aspiration in hospitalized patients. Methodology: This was a retrospective study conducted at the National Institute of Diseases of the Chest and Heart (NIDCH), Dhaka during the period of October 1994 to February 2006. Medical records were used for collection of cases. The diagnosis of FB aspiration was made from documented presenting features, physical findings, investigations of chest radiology, CT scan whenever done and management outcome with rigid bronchoscopy and surgical interventions like bronchotomy or resection surgery. Results: Most of the patients 374 (97.5%) were children up to 15 years of age with the peak age of 1-10 years (81.3%). Males were affected more (63%) than females (37%). The majority of the patients (96%) were from poor socio-economic status. Most of the patients 297 (77.7%) presented early (within 7 days of aspiration) with cough and respiratory distress. There was late (after 7 days up to 12 years) presentation in 85 (22.2%) cases with respiratory complications. FB was found to be radio-opaque in 122 (31.9%) cases on chest imaging. Rigid bronchoscopy was attempted in all cases initially and it was successful to remove FB in 99.6% cases in patients who presented early. But it failed to remove the FB in 49 (57.6%) of cases when the patients presented late. Most of the FBs were of natural in origin 247 (64.6%) and the number of artificial FBs was less 135 (35.3%). FBs found impacted more on the right bronchial tree in 230 (60.2%), followed by left side in 121 (31.6%) and central airway in 31 (8.1%) cases. In failed cases, bronchotomy, lobectomy and pneumonectomy were the other modalities (57.6%) of management. Conclusion: Children of the age group 1-10 years were found most vulnerable for FB aspiration. FB of natural origin were common in our situation. FBs were impacted mostly on the right side. Removal of FB by rigid bronchoscopy was excellent when the patients presented early. Other difficult modalities of management like bronchotomy, lobectomy and pneumonectomy were needed in cases of late presentation. DOI: 10.3329/bjch.v30i1.6177 Bangladesh J Child Health 2006; VOL 30 (1/2/3): 12-16
Malignant Infantile Osteopetrosis - A Case Report
Authors: Khatoon Soofia , Akter Nasima , Tabib SM Shahnawaz Bin , Kabir ATM Luthful
Published: September 2010

DOI: 10.3329/bjch.v30i1.6183Bangladesh J Child Health 2006; VOL 30 (1/2/3): 36-39
Statistical Issues in the Analysis of ChIP-Seq and RNA-Seq Data
Authors: Ghosh Debashis , Qin Zhaohui S.
Published: September 2010

The recent arrival of ultra-high throughput, next generation sequencing (NGS) technologies has revolutionized the genetics and genomics fields by allowing rapid and inexpensive sequencing of billions of bases. The rapid deployment of NGS in a variety of sequencing-based experiments has resulted in fast accumulation of massive amounts of sequencing data. To process this new type of data, a torrent of increasingly sophisticated algorithms and software tools are emerging to help the analysis stage of the NGS applications. In this article, we strive to comprehensively identify the critical challenges that arise from all stages of NGS data analysis and provide an objective overview of what has been achieved in existing works. At the same time, we highlight selected areas that need much further research to improve our current capabilities to delineate the most information possible from NGS data. The article focuses on applications dealing with ChIP-Seq and RNA-Seq.
SwarmDock and the Use of Normal Modes in Protein-Protein Docking
Authors: Moal Iain H. , Bates Paul A.
Published: September 2010

Here is presented an investigation of the use of normal modes in protein-protein docking, both in theory and in practice. Upper limits of the ability of normal modes to capture the unbound to bound conformational change are calculated on a large test set, with particular focus on the binding interface, the subset of residues from which the binding energy is calculated. Further, the SwarmDock algorithm is presented, to demonstrate that the modelling of conformational change as a linear combination of normal modes is an effective method of modelling flexibility in protein-protein docking.
Uncertainty Determination Methodology, Sampling Maps Generation and Trend Studies with Biomass Thermogravimetric Analysis
Authors: Pazó Jose A. , Granada Enrique , Saavedra Ángeles , Eguía Pablo , Collazo Joaquín
Published: September 2010

This paper investigates a method for the determination of the maximum sampling error and confidence intervals of thermal properties obtained from thermogravimetric analysis (TG analysis) for several lignocellulosic materials (ground olive stone, almond shell, pine pellets and oak pellets), completing previous work of the same authors. A comparison has been made between results of TG analysis and prompt analysis. Levels of uncertainty and errors were obtained, demonstrating that properties evaluated by TG analysis were representative of the overall fuel composition, and no correlation between prompt and TG analysis exists. Additionally, a study of trends and time correlations is indicated. These results are particularly interesting for biomass energy applications.
Assessing Pearl Quality Using Reflectance UV-Vis Spectroscopy: Does the Same Donor Produce Consistent Pearl Quality?
Authors: Mamangkey Noldy Gustaf F. , Agatonovic Snezana , Southgate Paul C.
Published: September 2010

Two groups of commercial quality (“acceptable”) pearls produced using two donors, and a group of “acceptable” pearls from other donors were analyzed using reflectance UV-Vis spectrophotometry. Three pearls with different colors produced by the same donor showed different absorption spectra. Cream and gold colored pearls showed a wide absorption from 320 to about 460 nm, while there was just slight reflectance around 400 nm by the white pearl with a pink overtone. Cream and gold pearls reached a reflectance peak at 560 to 590 nm, while the white pearl with pink overtone showed slightly wider absorption in this region. Both cream and gold pearls showed an absorption peak after the reflectance peak, at about 700 nm for the cream pearl and 750 nm for the gold pearl. Two other pearls produced by the same donor (white with cream overtone and cream with various overtones) showed similar spectra, which differed in their intensity. One of these pearls had very high lustre and its spectrum showed a much higher percentage reflectance than the second pearl with inferior lustre. This result may indicate that reflectance is a useful quantitative indicator of pearl lustre. The spectra of two white pearls resulting from different donors with the same color nacre (silver) showed a reflectance at 260 nm, followed by absorption at 280 nm and another reflectance peak at 340 nm. After this peak the spectra for these pearls remained flat until a slight absorption peak around 700 nm. Throughout the visible region, all white pearls used in this study showed similar reflectance spectra although there were differences in reflectance intensity. Unlike the spectral results from white pearls, the results from yellow and gold pearls varied according to color saturation of the pearl. The results of this study show that similarities between absorption and reflectance spectra of cultured pearls resulting from the same saibo donor are negligible and could not be detected with UV-Vis spectrophotometry. Nevertheless, this technique could have a role to play in developing less subjective methods of assessing pearl quality and in further studies of the relationships between pearl quality and that of the donor and recipient oysters.
Antiphytoviral Activity of Satureja montana L. ssp. variegata (Host) P. W. Ball Essential Oil and Phenol Compounds on CMV and TMV
Authors: Dunkić Valerija , Bezić Nada , Vuko Elma , Cukrov Dubravka
Published: September 2010

The essential oil of Satureja montana L. ssp. variegata (Host) P. W. Ball (Lamiaceae) was characterized by a high concentration of oxygenated monoterpenes (71.3%), among which carvacrol (19.4%) and thymol (16.6%) were the major compounds. When the essential oil was applied on local hosts Chenopodium amaranticolor Coste & Reyn. and Chenopodium quinoa Willd. simultaneously with the infecting virus, the number of local lesions on both Tobacco mosaic virus (TMV) and Cucumber mosaic virus (CMV) infected plants was reduced for 29.2% and 24.1%, respectively. When applied individually for each virus, thymol was more effective in reducing CMV infection (33.2%), while carvacrol was more effective in reducing the TMV infection (34.3%). No synergistic effect of both monoterpenes was observed in the antiviral activity of the oil.
Antioxidant Activities of Caragana sinica Flower Extracts and Their Main Chemical Constituents
Authors: Tai Zhi-Gang , Cai Le , Dai Lin , Sun Wei-Jun , Zhe Wei , Yang Ya-Bin , Cao Qiu-E , Ding Zhong-Tao
Published: September 2010

The edible flowers of Caragana sinica are used in China a kind of health-promoting vegetable. In this study, the antioxidant activities of its ethanol extract, as well as its petroleum ether, ethyl acetate, n-butanol and water fractions, were evaluated through in vitro model systems including the DPPH, FRAP and β-carotene bleaching methods. Among the C. sinica flower extracts the ethyl acetate fraction was the most effective. Correlation analysis suggested that flavonoids might be the major contributors to the high antioxidant activity of this flower. Six flavonoids including quercetin (1), isoquercitrin (2), rutin (3), quercetin-3′-O-methyl-3-O-α-L-rhamnopyranosyl (1→6)-β-D-glucopyranoside (4), typhaneoside (5) and quercetin-3-O-β-D-glucopyranosyl(1→2)[α-L-rhamnopyranosyl (1→6)]-β-D-glucopyranoside (6), were isolated from this flower for the first time. Their contents were determined by a HPLC method. Compounds 3 and 4 were found to be the major flavonoids, with concentrations of 1.20 ± 0.07 and 3.94 ± 0.12 mg/g dry sample, respectively. These results demonstrated that the C. sinica flowers may be valuable natural antioxidant sources and are potentially applicable in the health food industry.
Two New Pyranoxanthones from Mesua beccariana (Guttiferae)
Authors: Teh Soek Sin , Ee Gwendoline Cheng Lian , Rahmani Mawardi , Sim Wei Chung , Mah Siau Hui , Teo Siow Hwa
Published: September 2010

Our recent study on the stem bark extracts of Mesua beccariana has led to the isolation of two new pyranoxanthones, mesuarianone (1) and mesuasinone (2), two anthraquinones, 4-methoxy-1,3,5-trihydroxyanthraquinone (3) and 2,5-dihydroxy-1,3,4-trimethoxyanthraquinone (4), one coumarin, mammea A/AB (5) and three common triterpenes, stigmasterol (6), friedelin (7) and betulinic acid (8). Structural elucidations of these compounds were achieved using 1D and 2D NMR and MS techniques. This is the first report on the phytochemistry of Mesua beccariana.
Improved Classification of Orthosiphon stamineus by Data Fusion of Electronic Nose and Tongue Sensors
Authors: Zakaria Ammar , Shakaff Ali Yeon Md. , Adom Abdul Hamid , Ahmad MohdNoor , Masnan Maz Jamilah , Aziz Abdul Hallis Abdul , Fikri Nazifah Ahmad , Abdullah Abu Hassan , Kamarudin Latifah Munirah
Published: September 2010

An improved classification of Orthosiphon stamineus using a data fusion technique is presented. Five different commercial sources along with freshly prepared samples were discriminated using an electronic nose (e-nose) and an electronic tongue (e-tongue). Samples from the different commercial brands were evaluated by the e-tongue and then followed by the e-nose. Applying Principal Component Analysis (PCA) separately on the respective e-tongue and e-nose data, only five distinct groups were projected. However, by employing a low level data fusion technique, six distinct groupings were achieved. Hence, this technique can enhance the ability of PCA to analyze the complex samples of Orthosiphon stamineus. Linear Discriminant Analysis (LDA) was then used to further validate and classify the samples. It was found that the LDA performance was also improved when the responses from the e-nose and e-tongue were fused together.
Wireless Intelligent Sensors Management Application Protocol-WISMAP
Authors: Cuevas-Martinez Juan Carlos , Gadeo-Martos Manuel Angel , Fernandez-Prieto Jose Angel , Canada-Bago Joaquin , Yuste-Delgado Antonio Jesus
Published: September 2010

Although many recent studies have focused on the development of new applications for wireless sensor networks, less attention has been paid to knowledge-based sensor nodes. The objective of this work is the development in a real network of a new distributed system in which every sensor node can execute a set of applications, such as fuzzy ruled-base systems, measures, and actions. The sensor software is based on a multi-agent structure that is composed of three components: management, application control, and communication agents; a service interface, which provides applications the abstraction of sensor hardware and other components; and an application layer protocol. The results show the effectiveness of the communication protocol and that the proposed system is suitable for a wide range of applications. As real world applications, this work presents an example of a fuzzy rule-based system and a noise pollution monitoring application that obtains a fuzzy noise indicator.
Manganese(III) Porphyrin-based Potentiometric Sensors for Diclofenac Assay in Pharmaceutical Preparations
Authors: Vlascici Dana , Pruneanu Stela , Olenic Liliana , Pogacean Florina , Ostafe Vasile , Chiriac Vlad , Pica Elena Maria , Bolundut Liviu Calin , Nica Luminita , Fagadar-Cosma Eugenia
Published: September 2010

Two manganese(III) porphyrins: manganese(III) tetraphenylporphyrin chloride and manganese(III)-tetrakis(3-hydroxyphenyl)porphyrin chloride were tested as ionophores for the construction of new diclofenac−selective electrodes. The electroactive material was incorporated either in PVC or a sol−gel matrix. The effect of different plasticizers and additives (anionic and cationic) on the potentiometric response was studied. The best results were obtained for the PVC membrane plasticized with dioctylphtalate and having sodium tetraphenylborate as a lipophilic anionic additive incorporated. The sensor response was linear in the concentration range 3 × 10−6 – 1 × 10−2 M with a slope of −59.7 mV/dec diclofenac, a detection limit of 1.5 × 10−6 M and very good selectivity coefficients. It was used for the determination of diclofenac in pharmaceutical preparations, by direct potentiometry. The results were compared with those obtained by the HPLC reference method and a good agreement was found between the two methods.
Stereo Vision Tracking of Multiple Objects in Complex Indoor Environments
Authors: Marrón-Romera Marta , García Juan C. , Sotelo Miguel A. , Pizarro Daniel , Mazo Manuel , Cañas José M. , Losada Cristina , Marcos Álvaro
Published: September 2010

This paper presents a novel system capable of solving the problem of tracking multiple targets in a crowded, complex and dynamic indoor environment, like those typical of mobile robot applications. The proposed solution is based on a stereo vision set in the acquisition step and a probabilistic algorithm in the obstacles position estimation process. The system obtains 3D position and speed information related to each object in the robot’s environment; then it achieves a classification between building elements (ceiling, walls, columns and so on) and the rest of items in robot surroundings. All objects in robot surroundings, both dynamic and static, are considered to be obstacles but the structure of the environment itself. A combination of a Bayesian algorithm and a deterministic clustering process is used in order to obtain a multimodal representation of speed and position of detected obstacles. Performance of the final system has been tested against state of the art proposals; test results validate the authors’ proposal. The designed algorithms and procedures provide a solution to those applications where similar multimodal data structures are found.
Multitemporal Observations of Sugarcane by TerraSAR-X Images
Authors: Baghdadi Nicolas , Cresson Rémi , Todoroff Pierre , Moinet Soizic
Published: September 2010

The objective of this study is to investigate the potential of TerraSAR-X (X-band) in monitoring sugarcane growth on Reunion Island (located in the Indian Ocean). Multi-temporal TerraSAR data acquired at various incidence angles (17°, 31°, 37°, 47°, 58°) and polarizations (HH, HV, VV) were analyzed in order to study the behaviour of SAR (synthetic aperture radar) signal as a function of sugarcane height and NDVI (Normalized Difference Vegetation Index). The potential of TerraSAR for mapping the sugarcane harvest was also studied. Radar signal increased quickly with crop height until a threshold height, which depended on polarization and incidence angle. Beyond this threshold, the signal increased only slightly, remained constant, or even decreased. The threshold height is slightly higher with cross polarization and higher incidence angles (47° in comparison with 17° and 31°). Results also showed that the co-polarizations channels (HH and VV) were well correlated. High correlation between SAR signal and NDVI calculated from SPOT-4/5 images was observed. TerraSAR data showed that after strong rains the soil contribution to the backscattering of sugarcane fields can be important for canes with heights of terminal visible dewlap (htvd) less than 50 cm (total cane heights around 155 cm). This increase in radar signal after strong rains could involve an ambiguity between young and mature canes. Indeed, the radar signal on TerraSAR images acquired in wet soil conditions could be of the same order for fields recently harvested and mature sugarcane fields, making difficult the detection of cuts. Finally, TerraSAR data at high spatial resolution were shown to be useful for monitoring sugarcane harvest when the fields are of small size or when the cut is spread out in time. The comparison between incidence angles of 17°, 37° and 58° shows that 37° is more suitable to monitor the sugarcane harvest. The cut is easily detectable on TerraSAR images for data acquired less than two or three months after the cut. The radar signal decreases about 5dB for images acquired some days after the cut and 3 dB for data acquired two month after the cut (VV-37°). The difference in radar signal becomes negligible (
Hurdles to Forest Friendly Farming: Sustainability Lessons from Southeastern Mexico
Authors: Keys Eric
Published: September 2010

Worldwide the search is on for sustainable solutions to the competing needs for forest conservation and agricultural development. A strategy with contemporary salience arises in intensive, sedentarized agriculture that can protect forests and enhance livelihoods for forest dwellers. This paper investigates why intensive agriculture does not limit deforestation in southeastern Mexico’s Calakmul Municipality. It argues that agriculture faces challenges from a range of biophysical and socioeconomic factors in tropical regions and that this encourages expanded land use for intensive farmers.
The Potential for Abandoned Paddy Fields to Reduce Pollution Loads from Households in Suburban Tokyo
Authors: Kogi Jiro , Miyamoto Mariko , Bolthouse Jay , Yokohari Makoto
Published: September 2010

Similar to other Asian nations, suburban areas in Japan are characterized by dense intermixtures of residential areas and farmlands. These hybrid rural/urban areas are evaluated negatively in modern planning frameworks. However, mixed rural/urban landscapes may prove advantageous when attempting to reconstruct sustainable wastewater treatment systems. This research examines the potential for abandoned paddy fields to reduce nitrogen (T-N) and phosphorous (T-P) loads, an increasingly problematic source of eutrophication in many closed water areas, from households in suburban areas. Our results indicate that abandoned paddy fields remaining in mixed urban/rural areas have significant potential to reduce both nitrogen and phosphorous loads. Accordingly, we suggest that abandoned paddy fields can play an important role in reducing pollution loads in mixed urban/rural areas.