bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Posttranscriptional Self-Regulation by the Lyme Disease Bacterium's BpuR DNA/RNA-Binding Protein
Authors: Jutras Brandon L. , Jones Grant S. , Verma Ashutosh , Brown Nicholas A. , Antonicello Alyssa D. , Chenail Alicia M. , Stevenson Brian
Published: August 2013

Bacteria require explicit control over their proteomes in order to compete and survive in dynamic environments. The Lyme disease spirocheteBorrelia burgdorferiundergoes substantial protein profile changes during its cycling between vector ticks and vertebrate hosts. In an effort to understand regulation of these transitions, we recently isolated and functionally characterized the borrelial nucleic acid-binding protein BpuR, a PUR domain-containing protein. We now report that this regulatory protein governs its own synthesis through direct interactions withbpuRmRNA.In vitroandin vivotechniques indicate that BpuR binds with high affinity and specificity to the 5′ region of its message, thereby inhibiting translation. This negative feedback could permit the bacteria to fine-tune cellular BpuR concentrations. These data add to the understanding of this newly described class of prokaryotic DNA- and RNA-binding regulatory proteins.
Probing Bacterial Metabolism during Infection Using High-Resolution Transcriptomics
Authors: Jorth Peter , Trivedi Urvish , Rumbaugh Kendra , Whiteley Marvin
Published: August 2013

A fundamental aspect of most infectious diseases is the need for the invading microbe to proliferate in the host. However, little is known about the metabolic pathways required for pathogenic microbes to colonize and persist in their hosts. In this study, we used RNA sequencing (RNA-seq) to generate a high-resolution transcriptome of the opportunistic pathogen
Aggregatibacter actinomycetemcomitans
in vivo
. We identified 691
A. actinomycetemcomitans
transcriptional start sites and 210 noncoding RNAs during growth
in vivo
and as a biofilm
in vitro
. Compared to
in vitro
biofilm growth on a defined medium, ∼14% of the
A. actinomycetemcomitans
genes were differentially regulated
in vivo
. A disproportionate number of genes coding for proteins involved in metabolic pathways were differentially regulated
in vivo
, suggesting that
A. actinomycetemcomitans
in vivo
metabolism is distinct from
in vitro
growth. Mutational analyses of differentially regulated genes revealed that formate dehydrogenase H and fumarate reductase are important
A. actinomycetemcomitans
fitness determinants
in vivo
. These results not only provide a high-resolution genomic analysis of a bacterial pathogen during
in vivo
growth but also provide new insight into metabolic pathways required for
A. actinomycetemcomitans
in vivo
fitness.
Vasculitis of the gallbladder in early rheumatoid arthritis
Authors: Sandhu Sharron K , Choy Gregory
Published: August 2013

Vasculitis secondary to rheumatoid arthritis (RA) usually occurs in patients with high circulating titres of rheumatoid factor and established, chronic disease. Vasculitis of the gallbladder causing acute cholecystitis is an extremely rare manifestation of rheumatoid vasculitis. To our knowledge, this is the first case in which vasculitis occurred early in the course of disease. We report the case of a localised gallbladder vasculitis in a 74-year-old, newly diagnosed male patient with RA. He presented with acute abdominal pain, a history of constitutional symptoms and a 1-week history of polyarthritis of his wrist and hands. Cholecystitis was diagnosed clinically and radiologically and he underwent a laparoscopic cholecystectomy. Histopathology of the gallbladder confirmed cholecystitis and gallstones but in addition found small vessel vasculitis and rheumatoid nodules. This case illustrates that rheumatoid vasculitis can occur early in the onset of RA. Additionally, although rare, the gallbladder can be a site of localised rheumatoid vasculitis.
Unusual cause of cholestatic jaundice in a patient with AIDS
Authors: Kim Su Bin , Shrivastava Makardhwaj Sarvadaman , Anampa Jesus M , Strakhan Marianna
Published: August 2013

A 61-year-old man with AIDS on chronic highly active antiretroviral treatment (HAART) presented with lethargy and jaundice and was found to have abnormal liver function tests (LFTs). Investigations including viral/autoimmune markers and imaging were unrevealing, except for positive Epstein-Barr virus. HAART was held, however, transaminases and total bilirubin continued to rise. The liver biopsy revealed classical Hodgkin's lymphoma (HL). HL presenting only with liver findings without lymphadenopathy is rare. Extreme cases can lead to fulminant liver failure. The bone marrow biopsy and dramatic elevation in serum ferritin were consistent with haemophagocytic lymphohistiocytosis. Finding a chemotherapy regimen was challenging given abnormal LFTs and HAART interactions. Initial chemotherapy regimen has successfully decreased LFTs; however, it was limited by pancytopenia. The patient's regimen was changed, however second regimen was complicated by neuropathy. LFTs improved and the patient was able to receive the standard care chemotherapy for HL with significant clinical, laboratory and radiological improvement.
Social participation in older adults with joint pain and comorbidity; testing the measurement properties of the Dutch Keele Assessment of Participation
Authors: Hermsen Lotte A H , Terwee Caroline B , Leone Stephanie S , van der Zwaard Babette , Smalbrugge Martin , Dekker Joost , van der Horst Henriëtte E , Wilkie Ross
Published: August 2013

Objective

The Keele Assessment of Participation (KAP) questionnaire measures person-perceived participation in 11 aspects of life. Participation allows fulfilment of valued life activities and social roles, which are important to older adults. Since we aimed to use the KAP in a larger Dutch cohort, we examined the measurement properties of KAP in a Dutch sample of older adults with joint pain and comorbidity.

Design

Cohort study.

Setting

A community-based sample in Amsterdam, the Netherlands and North Staffordshire, UK.

Participants

Participants were aged 65 years and over, had at least two chronic diseases (identified through general practice consultation) and reported joint pain on most days (questionnaire). The Dutch cohort provided baseline data (n=407), follow-up data at 6 months (n=364) and test–retest data 2 weeks after 6 months (n=122). The UK cohort provided comparable data (n=404).

Outcome measures

The primary outcome was person-perceived participation, as measured with the KAP. The measurement properties examined were the following: structural validity (factor analysis), internal consistency (Cronbach's α), reliability (intraclass correlation coefficients; ICC), construct validity (hypothesis testing), responsiveness (hypothesis testing and area under the curve) and cross-cultural validity (differential item functioning; DIF).

Results

Factor analysis revealed two domains: KAPd1: ‘participation in basic activities’ and KAPd2: ‘participation in complex activities’, with Cronbach's α of 0.74 and 0.57 and moderate test–retest reliability: ICC of 0.63 and 0.57, respectively. Further analyses of KAPd1 showed poor construct validity and responsiveness. Despite the uniform DIF in item ‘interpersonal relations’, the total KAPd1 score seemed comparable between the Dutch and UK sample.

Conclusions

Only KAP domain ‘participation in basic activities’ showed good internal consistency and sufficient reliability. KAPd2 lacks sufficient measurement properties for application in studies, although items may be used as single items. Further development of the concept ‘participation’ may help the development and validation of instruments to measure participation.
Facilitating and inhibiting factors for long-term involvement of patients at outcome conferences—lessons learnt from a decade of collaboration in OMERACT: a qualitative study
Authors: de Wit Maarten , Abma Tineke , Koelewijn-Van Loon Marije , Collins Sarah , Kirwan John
Published: August 2013

Objective

Several studies have provided insights into the conditions for successful patient involvement in health research. We recently demonstrated that long-term engagement with people with rheumatic conditions in international outcome research led to significant changes in the research agenda in the field of rheumatology. This article explores facilitating and inhibiting factors for long-term involvement of patients as collaborative partners at five Outcome Measures in Rheumatology (OMERACT) conferences.

Design

Responsive evaluation, starting with a thematic document analysis of conference proceedings and the grey literature, followed by 38 qualitative interviews. Interview transcripts were subjected to inductive content analysis.

Setting

5 international OMERACT conferences between 2002 and 2012.

Participants

Patient delegates (n=16) and professional delegates representing researchers (n=14), pharmaceutical industry and regulators (n=2).

Results

Combined review of the document analysis and interview data revealed five main facilitators and three main barriers. Patient engagement as full participants at OMERACT conferences was enhanced by: strong leadership commitment and the presence of change agents, a clear selection procedure, an inclusive consensus-based conference design, individualised and self-organised support, an interactive and encouraging moderation style during discussion groups. Barriers were related to the intensity of the conference programme, scepticism among researchers and doubts about the representativeness of the patient group.

Conclusions

This study concludes that developing a sustainable structure for funding, selection and support of patient delegates, as well as adjusting conference design and moderation style, contributes not only towards facilitating direct dialogue between all stakeholders but also towards enhancing mutual understanding and the successful incorporation of the patient perspective in an outcome conference such as OMERACT.
Regional and socioeconomic disparities in the treatment of unruptured cerebral aneurysms in the USA: 2000–2010
Authors: Bekelis Kimon , Missios Symeon , Labropoulos Nicos
Published: August 2013

Background

The Institute of Medicine called attention to the pervasive differences in treatments and outcomes between ethnic groups. We sought to highlight the geographic and racial disparities in access to treatment for unruptured cerebral aneurysms.

Methods

We performed a retrospective cohort study involving patients with unruptured cerebral aneurysms from 2000 to 2010, registered in the National Inpatient Sample (NIS) database. Primary outcomes were those patients receiving treatment and the ratio of untreated to treated aneurysms per state. The purpose of this study was to determine if there were geographic and racial disparities in access to treatment of unruptured cerebral aneurysms based on the NIS. Logistic regression and analysis of variance (ANOVA) techniques were used.

Results

There were 57 418 patients diagnosed with unruptured aneurysms (mean age 61.4 years, 70.5% females), with 18 231 undergoing treatment. Males (OR 0.67, 95% CI 0.64 to 0.71, p<0.0001), Asian (OR 0.88, 95% CI 0.81 to 0.96, p=0.003), Hispanic (OR 0.76, 95% CI 0.65 to 0.90, p=0.001), African American (OR 0.57, 95% CI 0.53 to 0.62, p<0.0001), and patients without insurance (OR 0.76, 95% CI 0.67 to 0.87, p<0.0001) were associated with decreased chance of treatment. The opposite was true for lower Charlson Comorbidity Index (OR 3.03, 95% CI 2.71 to 3.39, p<0.0001), coverage by Medicaid (OR 1.12, 95% CI 1.03 to 1.23, p=0.012), or private insurance (OR 1.92, 95% CI 1.80 to 2.04, p<0.0001), and lower income (OR 1.22, 95% CI 1.15 to 1.31, p<0.0001). Significant regional variability was observed among the different states (p=0.006, ANOVA), with Maryland being an outlier.

Conclusions

Based on the NIS database, the rate of treatment of unruptured cerebral aneurysms varies according to sex, race, and region.
Paleomagnetism of ∼1.09 Ga Lake Shore Traps (Keweenaw Peninsula, Michigan): new results and implications
Authors: Kulakov Evgeniy V. , Smirnov Aleksey V. , Diehl Jimmy F.
Published: August 2013

We report paleomagnetic data from a new section of the ∼1.09 Ga Lake Shore Traps exposed on Silver Island (10 flows) and on the adjacent mainland (two flows) along the northwestern coastline of the Keweenaw Peninsula in Michigan. We also present new data from nine additional lava flows, sampled from the tip of the peninsula previously studied by Diehl and Haig in 1994. Samples from all these lava flows yield well-defined characteristic magnetization directions upon thermal demagnetization. After structural tilt correction, the directions from Silver Island (site-mean declination, D = 276.9°; site-mean inclination, I = 44.4°; 95% radius of confidence for site mean, α95 = 2.6°; number of samples, N = 10) and mainland (D = 298.7°, I = 36.0°, α95 = 10.1°, N = 2) flows are close to the directions from equivalent lava flows from the upper (D = 277.8°, I = 41.0°, α95 = 2.3°, N = 17) and lower (D = 300.0°, I = 34.9°, α95 = 2.3°, N = 10) sections of the middle Lake Shore Traps exposed at the eastern tip of the Peninsula, respectively. Testing the paleomagnetic directions for serial correlation shows that some of the sequential lava flows on Silver Island and from the middle Lake Shore Traps at the tip of the Peninsula record the same vector of the geomagnetic field. Combining these correlated directions yielded new mean directions for Silver Island (D = 277.2°, I = 44.1°, α95 = 3.1°, N = 8), and the upper (D = 277.0°, I = 40.4°, α95 = 3.7°, N = 10) and lower (D = 298.6°, I = 33.3°, α95 = 4.3°, N = 5) middle Lake Shore Traps at the tip of the Peninsula. The statistical similarity of paleomagnetic directions obtained from these two locations with significantly different structural trends supports the conclusions of prior studies that the curvature of the Midcontinent Rift is primary. The new paleomagnetic pole for the Lake Shore Traps is located at 23.1°N, 186.4°E (95% confidence for the paleomagnetic pole, Α95 = 4.0°; N = 31) and merits a nearly perfect six-point classification on the paleomagnetic reliability scale.
AN AGE-BASED MAINTENANCE STRATEGY FOR A DEGRADATION-THRESHOLD-SHOCK-MODEL FOR A SYSTEM SUBJECTED TO MULTIPLE DEFECTS
Authors: CASTRO I. T.
Published: August 2013

A system subject to internal defects and external shocks is analyzed in this paper. Internal defects initiate following a nonhomogeneous Poisson process (NHPP) and they grow according to deterioration processes modeled as gamma processes. A corrective replacement is performed when the deterioration of a defect exceeds a failure threshold. The system is subject to external shocks. After an external shock, the system is replaced with probability 1 – p and is minimally repaired with probability p. The system is preventively replaced at the age of T. Costs are associated with the maintenance actions. The value of T that minimizes the expected cost rate is obtained analytically. Numerical examples are showed to illustrate the theoretical results.
INTEGRATING EARLY SALES WITH PRODUCTION DECISIONS AND ITS EFFECT ON BUDGETARY CONSTRAINT
Authors: MU YINPING , FENG YI
Published: August 2013

Many companies are facing the challenges of dynamic market and capital shortage. To overcome these challenges, we examine the case in which the company develops early sales strategy that entices customers to commit to their orders at a discount price prior to the selling season. The time between payment and fulfillment of these pre-committed orders provides an opportunity for the company to "lock" part of market demand and relieve the company's procurement budgetary constraint. This paper evaluates the benefits of the early sales strategy. Firstly, we provide a novel method to compute the optimal discount rate of the early sales strategy; comparative static analysis of parameters (e.g., market size, sensitivity level of the market responding to price change, and the probability of a customer purchasing the company's product) toward the optimal discount rate is also investigated. Secondly, we investigate the model of the early sales where the company is with procurement budgetary constraint. It is theoretically proved that the optimal discount rate in the model is larger than that without the constraint. Computational study demonstrates that early sales can significantly relieve the budgetary shortage, and substantially increase the expected profit.
A NOVEL EVOLUTIONARY ALGORITHM ENSEMBLE FOR GLOBAL NUMERICAL OPTIMIZATION
Authors: NIU YONGYONG , CAI ZIXING , JIN MIN
Published: August 2013

In the past few years, evolutionary algorithm ensembles have gradually attracted more and more attention in the community of evolutionary computation. This paper proposes a novel evolutionary algorithm ensemble for global numerical optimization, named NEALE. In order to make a good tradeoff between the exploration and exploitation, NEALE is composed of two constituent algorithms, i.e., the composite differential evolution (CoDE) and the covariance matrix adaptation evolution strategy (CMA-ES). During the evolution, CoDE aims at probing more promising regions and refining the overall quality of the population, while the purposes of CMA-ES are to accelerate the convergence speed and to enhance the accuracy of the solutions. In addition, NEALE encourages the interaction between the constituent algorithms. In NEALE, the interaction is controlled by a predefined generation number and different interaction strategies are designed according to the features of the constituent algorithms. The performance of NEALE has been tested on 25 benchmark test functions developed for the special session on real-parameter optimization of the 2005 IEEE Congress on Evolutionary Computation (IEEE CEC2005). Compared with other state-of-the-art evolutionary algorithms and the individual constituent algorithms, NEALE performs significantly better than them.
SPLIT AND DISCARD STRATEGY: A NEW APPROACH FOR CONSTRAINED GLOBAL OPTIMIZATION
Authors: JABEEN SYEDA DARAKHSHAN
Published: August 2013

In this paper we develop a new hybrid algorithm incorporating the penalty function technique for solving nonlinear constrained optimization problems. The principle is based on converting the constrained optimization problem into an unconstrained optimization problem by the penalty function technique. Then, we have proposed a new penalty technique, called Big-M penalty that is different from the existing ones. Accordingly, a hybrid algorithm has been developed based on Split and Discard Strategy (SDS) and advanced real coded genetic algorithm (ARCGA), with tournament selection, multiparent whole arithmetical crossover, double mutation (boundary and whole nonuniform mutation) and elitism. In SDS technique, the entire search space is divided into two equal subregions. Then the one containing the feasible solution with better fitness value is selected. This process is repeated until the accepted subregion reduces to a very small region with negligible edges. Finally, to test the performance of the proposed method along with three different penalty function techniques, it is applied to several well-known benchmark test problems available in the literature.
ISENTROPIC EQUATION OF STATE OF SUPERNOVA MATTER
Authors: DAS C. , PANDA P. , MISHRA S. , MISHRA A.
Published: August 2013

A nonrelativistic equation of state (EOS) of supernova matter is calculated within a fully self-consistent model at finite temperature with a realistic interaction for lepton fractions yl = 0.3 and 0.4. Isothermal EOS is converted to isentropic EOS. Rise in temperature with densities are studied at adiabates S = 1.0 and 1.5. A comparison of isothermal and isentropic generation of pressure is made. Variation of pressure with temperature at different adiabates is discussed.
A MODIFIED TRIANGULATION ALGORITHM TAILORED FOR THE SMOOTHED FINITE ELEMENT METHOD (S-FEM)
Authors: LI Y. , LI M. , LIU G. R.
Published: August 2013

Meshing is one of the key tasks in using the finite element method (FEM), the smoothed finite element method (S-FEM), finite volume method (FVM), and many other discrete numerical methods. Linear triangular (T3) mesh is one of the most widely used mesh, because it can be generated and refined automatically for discrete domains of complicated geometry, and hence save significantly the time for model creation. This paper presents a modified triangulation algorithm based on the advancing front technique to provide a comprehensive linear triangular mesh generator with six connectivity lists, including element–node (Ele–N) connectivity, element–edge (Ele–Eg) connectivity, edge–node (Eg–N) connectivity, edge–element (Eg–Ele) connectivity, node–edge (N–Eg) connectivity and node–element (N–Ele) connectivity. These six connectivity lists are generated along the way when the T3 elements are created, and hence it is done in a most efficient fashion. The connectivity is recorded in the usual counter-clockwise convention for convenient utilization in various S-FEM models for effective analyses. In addition, an algorithm is developed for renumbering the nodes in the T3 mesh to obtain a minimized bandwidth of stiffness matrices for both FEM and S-FEM models.
Real-time in situ detection and quantification of bacteria in the Arctic environment
Authors: Powers Linda , Ellis Walther R. , Lloyd Christopher R.
Published: August 2013

At present, there are no methods that determine the total microbial load on an abiotic substrate in real time. The utility of such a capability ranges from sterilization and medical diagnostics to the search for new microorganisms in the environment and study of their ecological niches. We report the development of a hand-held, fluorescence detection device and demonstrate its applicability to the field detection of Arctic bacteria. This technology is based on the early pioneering work of Britton Chance which elucidated the intrinsic fluorescence of a number of metabolites and protein cofactors in cells, including reduced pyridine nucleotides, cytochromes and flavins. A PDA controls the device (fluorescence excitation and data collection) and processes the multiwavelength signals to yield bacterial cell counts, including estimates of live cells, dead cells and endospores. Unlike existing methods for cell counting, this method requires no sample contact or addition of reagents. The use of this technology is demonstrated with in situ measurements of two sub-glacial microbial communities at sites in Palander and colonized surface rocks in the Bockfjord Volcanic Complex during AMASE 2008 (Arctic Mars Analog Svalbard Expedition). The total bacterial load on the interrogated sample surfaces ranged from < 20 cells/cm2 to > 109 cells/cm2.
ANTI-TUMOR RESPONSES INDUCED BY LASER IRRADIATION AND IMMUNOLOGICAL STIMULATION USING A MOUSE MAMMARY TUMOR MODEL
Authors: ZHOU FEIFAN , LI XIAOSONG , SONG SHENG , ACQUAVIVA JOSEPH T. , WOLF ROMAN F. , HOWARD ERIC W. , CHEN WEI R.
Published: August 2013

Anti-tumor immunological response induced by local intervention is ideal for treatment of metastatic tumors. Laser immunotherapy was developed to synergize photothermal interaction with immunological stimulation for cancer treatment. Using an infrared laser, indocyanine green (ICG, as a light absorbing agent), and glycated chitosan (GC, as an immunostimulant), laser immunotherapy has resulted in tumor suppression and anti-tumor responses in pre-clinical as well as clinical studies. To further understand the mechanism of laser immunotherapy, the effects of laser and GC treatment without specific enhancement of laser absorption were studied. Passive adoptive immunity transfer was performed using splenocytes as immune cells. Spleen cells harvested from tumor-bearing mice treated by laser + GC provided 60% immunity in naive recipients. Furthermore, cytotoxicity and TNF-α secretion by splenocytes from treated mice also indicated that laser + G induced immunity was tumor-specific. The high level of infiltrating T cells in tumors after laser + GC treatment further confirmed a specific anti-tumor immune response. Therefore, laser + GC could prove to be a promising selective local treatment modality that induces a systemic anti-tumor response, with appropriate laser parameters and GC doses.
China's New Supreme Command and Politics of Central Military Commission Reshuffle
Authors: YOU Ji
Published: August 2013

The 18th Central Military Commission (CMC) is a balanced team of high professional quality. Yet it is a transitional team because the top soldier and two other members can only serve for one term, if not shorter. This new CMC is also capable of commanding the PLA effectively. Xi can rely on this new team for power consolidation and employment at an earlier date. The PLA has firmly supported Xi's political leadership style, either for his domestic reforms or external initiatives. The Xi era has commenced smoothly.
China Curbs Official Extravagance
Authors: CHEN Gang
Published: August 2013

Chinese official extravagance on vehicles, banquets and overseas trips at public expense (“three public expenses”) has been censured by taxpayers as China's fiscal revenue more than quadrupled over the past decade. China's long history of political ranking distinguished by lavish spending on receptions and luxurious official vehicles is an embedded factor behind the “three expenses”. The strong government consumption accounts for the surge in the sale of luxurious products while cheaper commodities suffer.
China's Educated Underemployment
Authors: HUANG Yanjie
Published: August 2013

China's college graduates are suffering from various types of underemployment, especially manifested in a mismatch between their qualifications and expectations and the actual jobs they are in. This is the result of a shortfall in university education and structural problems in the economy. A socioeconomic conundrum, the problem of educated underemployment will require reforms in both higher education and the economic structure.
Taiwan's Social Welfare System in Predicament after Expansion
Authors: QI Dongtao
Published: August 2013

Democratisation and highly competitive electoral politics in the past two decades have driven Taiwan's social welfare system to expand rapidly. Its universal national health insurance scheme is the most favoured social policy in Taiwan and the occupation-based pension programmes generally provide high income replacement rates. The expanded social welfare system has also generated an increasingly positive redistributive effect on income equality in Taiwan. However, financial sustainability is its largest challenge.
Education forms the tender mind
Authors: Gardner-Thorpe Christopher
Published: August 2013

In the early days of the development of a more formal approach to academic geology many natural philosophers, now better known as scientists, were men (rarely women) with inquisitive minds who encapsulated the field of what we now call the sciences. Thus medical practitioners, clergymen and others were enquiring into the natural world. One such was James Parkinson who was a doctor, geologist and keen moral philosopher. The area of Hoxton in East London where he lived his whole life has been redeveloped since then. Some of James’s interests are discussed here and the multiple interrelationships of medicine and geology within his family are illustrated.
Extraction of financial information from online business reports
Authors: Simmons Lakisha L. , Conlon Sumali J.
Published: August 2013

CAINES, Content Analysis and INformation Extraction System, employs a semantic based information extraction (IE) methodology through a design science approach to extract unstructured text from the Web. Our system was knowledge-engineered and tested on an active business database by experts who use the database regularly to perform their job functions. We believe that by heavily involving business experts, we are able to advance our thinking about IS research. CAINES extracts information to meet three objectives that were deemed important by our experts: (1) understand what current market conditions impacted the growth of certain balance sheets (2) summarize management's discussion of potential risks and uncertainties (3) identify significant financial activities including mergers, acquisitions, and new business segments. These objectives were developed based on the advice of financial experts who regularly analyze financial reports.

A total of 21 online business reports from the EDGAR database, each averaging about 100 pages long, were used in this study. Based on financial expert opinions, extraction rules were created to extract information from financial reports. Using CAINES, one can extract information about global and domestic market conditions, market condition impacts, and information about the business outlook. User testing of CAINES resulted in recall of 85.91%, precision of 87.16%, and an F-measure of 86.46%. Speed with CAINES was also greater than manually extracting information. Users agreed that CAINES quickly and easily extracts unstructured information from financial reports on the EDGAR database. This study highlights the significance of creating a semantic based IE system that addresses practical business issues and solves a true business problem with the knowledge of business experts.
Classification model for detecting and managing credit loan fraud based on individual-level utility concept
Authors: Choi Keunho , Kim Gunwoo , Suh Yongmoo
Published: August 2013

As credit loan products significantly increase in most financial institutions, the number of fraudulent transactions is also growing rapidly. Therefore, to manage the financial risks successfully, the financial institutions should reinforce the qualifications for a loan and augment the ability to detect and manage a credit loan fraud proactively. In the process of building a classification model to detect credit loan frauds, utility from classification results (i.e., benefits from correct prediction and costs from incorrect prediction) is more important than the accuracy rate of classification. The objective of this paper is two-fold: (1) to propose a new approach to building a classification model for detecting credit loan fraud based on an individual-level utility, and (2) to suggest customized interest rate for each customer - from both opportunity utility and cash flow perspectives. Experimental results show that our proposed model comes up with higher utility than the fraud detection models which do not take into account the individual-level utility concept. Also, it is shown that the individual-level utility from our model is more accurate than the mean-level utility used in previous researches, from both opportunity utility and cash flow perspectives. Implications of the experimental results from both perspectives are provided.
Dynamic change in hyoid muscle length associated with trajectory of hyoid bone during swallowing: analysis using 320-row area detector computed tomography
Authors: Okada Takeshi , Aoyagi Yoichiro , Inamoto Yoko , Saitoh Eiichi , Kagaya Hitoshi , Shibata Seiko , Ota Kikuo , Ueda Koichiro
Published: August 2013

Research on muscle activation patterns during swallowing has been limited. Newly developed 320-row area detector computed tomography (320-ADCT) has excellent spatial and temporal resolution, which facilitates identification of laryngopharyngeal structures and quantitative kinematic analysis of pharyngeal swallowing. We investigated muscle activity patterns by observing the changes in length of hyoid muscles. 320-ADCT was performed in 26 healthy males while swallowing. The following parameters were analyzed three-dimensionally: 1) origins and insertions of the stylohyoid, anterior and posterior digastric, mylohyoid, geniohyoid, and thyrohyoid muscles; and 2) movement of the hyoid bone. The stylohyoid, posterior digastric, and mylohyoid muscles began to shorten simultaneously during the initial stage of swallowing. The shortening of these muscles occurred during the upward movement of the hyoid bone. Subsequently, the geniohyoid, thyrohyoid, and anterior digastric muscles began to shorten, synchronizing with the forward movement of the hyoid bone. A significant correlation was observed between the shortened muscle lengths of the stylohyoid, posterior digastric, and mylohyoid muscles and the upward movement of the hyoid bone ( r = 0.45–0.65). A correlation was also observed between the shortened muscle length of the geniohyoid muscle and the forward movement of the hyoid bone ( r = 0.61). In this study, the sequence of muscle activity during pharyngeal swallowing remained constant. Serial shortening of the hyoid muscles influenced the trajectory of the hyoid bone. The stylohyoid, posterior digastric, and mylohyoid muscles initiated the swallowing reflex and contributed to upward movement of the hyoid bone. The geniohyoid is a key muscle in the forward movement of the hyoid bone.
Stability of a Cosmetic Multiple Emulsion Loaded with Green Tea Extract
Authors: Mahmood Tariq , Akhtar Naveed
Published: August 2013

Multiple emulsions are excellent and exciting potential systems for the delivery of useful cosmetic agents. The work describes stability of a multiple emulsion for cosmetic purpose, loaded with extract of Camellia sinensis L. (Theaceae) in concentration of 5%. The formulation constitutes of cetyl dimethicone copolyol and polyoxyethylene (20) cetyl ether as emulsifiers and was characterised and monitored for various physicochemical aspects. Centrifugation has no devastating effect on physical destabilization/phase separation observed for 30 days. Mean globule sizes of multiple droplets were found in the range of 10.29 ± 4.4 μm to 12.77 ± 5.1 μm and of inner droplets were in the range of 0.8 ± 0.4 μm to 1.6 ± 0.8 μm. All samples exhibited shear thinning behavior with increase in shear stress. The results of the present study indicate that multiple emulsions can be used as carrier of 5% Camellia sinensis L. extract to enhance desired effects. The developed physically and chemically stable system is an effective system for targeting skin layers; however, long‐term stability at elevated temperatures may be needed with suitable modifications, if required.
Enhanced Topical Delivery of Tetrandrine by Ethosomes for Treatment of Arthritis
Authors: Fan Chao , Li Xinru , Zhou Yanxia , Zhao Yong , Ma Shujin , Li Wenjing , Liu Yan , Li Guiling
Published: August 2013

The purpose of this work was to explore the feasibility of ethosomes for improving the antiarthritic efficacy of tetrandrine by topical application. It was found that tetrandrine was a weak base (pKa=7.06) with pH-dependent partition coefficient. The spherical-shaped ethosomes were prepared by pH gradient loading method.Ex vivopermeation and deposition behavior demonstrated that the drug flux across rat skin and deposition of the drug in rat skin for ethosomes was 2.1- and 1.7-fold higher than that of liposomes, respectively. Confocal laser scanning microscopy confirmed that ethosomes could enhance the topical delivery of the drug in terms of depth and quantity compared with liposomes. The ethosomes were shown to generate substantial enhancement of therapeutic efficacy of tetrandrine on Freund’s complete adjuvant-induced arthritis with regard to liposomes. These results indicated that ethosomes would be a promising carrier for topical delivery of tetrandrine into and across the skin.
Enhanced Catalyst Activity of WO3 Using Polypyrrole as Support for Acidic Esterification of Glycerol with Acetic Acid
Authors: Ghoreishi Khadijeh Beigom , Yarmo Mohd Ambar , Nordin Norasikin Mohamad , Samsudin Mohd Wahid
Published: August 2013

A series of polypyrrole supported WO3 were fabricated and characterized by FT‐IR, XRD, XPS, BET, TGA, and FESEM‐EDX. The activity of the catalysts was tested in glycerol esterification with acetic acid, and it found that WO3‐Ppy‐20 (nanocomposite with 20% WO3 loaded) showed the maximum catalyst activity with 98% and selectivity of 70% to triacetin at 110°C with a reaction duration of 10 h and also recorded the highest selectivity (75%) for acetylation of glycerol to monoacetin with about 59% conversion only. The highest acidity of WO3‐Ppy‐20 is also confirmed using TPD‐NH3 analysis. The activity and selectivity to triacetin of the catalyst were enhanced by increasing WO3 loading amount, resulting in 82% conversion for WO3‐Ppy‐5 with about 32 and 50% selectivity to monoacetin and diacetin and about 18% selectivity to triacetin; in case of WO3‐Ppy‐20, these amounts were changed to 5, 25, and 70% selectivity to monoacetin, diacetin, and triacetin, respectively with the conversion of 98%. TPD‐NH3 analysis found that polypyrrole supported WO3 increases the catalyst acidity of WO3. BET and FESEM analyses revealed that WO3 particles were well dispersed with the smallest average size in nanocomposite compared to pure WO3, which could contribute to the high activity of WO3‐Ppy catalyst for esterification of glycerol.
Vitamin K2, a Naturally Occurring Menaquinone, Exerts Therapeutic Effects on Both Hormone-Dependent and Hormone-Independent Prostate Cancer Cells
Authors: Samykutty Abhilash , Shetty Aditya V. , Dakshinamoorthy Gajalakshmi , Kalyanasundaram Ramaswamy , Zheng Gouxing , Chen Aoshuang , Bosland Maarten C. , Kajdacsy-Balla André , Gnanasekar Munirathinam
Published: August 2013

In recent years, several studies have shown that vitamin k2 (VK2) has anticancer activity in a variety of cancer cells. The antitumor effects of VK2 in prostate cancer are currently not known. In the present study, we sought to characterize the anticancer potential of VK2 in both androgen-dependent and -independent prostate cancer cells. Our investigations show that VK2 is able to suppress viability of androgen-dependent and androgen-independent prostate cancer cells via caspase-3 and -8 dependent apoptosis. We also show that VK2 treatment reduces androgen receptor expression and PSA secretion in androgen-dependent prostate cancer cells. Our results also implicate VK2 as a potential anti-inflammatory agent, as several inflammatory genes are downregulated in prostate cancer cells following treatment with VK2. Additionally, AKT and NF-kB levels in prostate cancer cells are reduced significantly when treated with VK2. These findings correlated with the results of the Boyden chamber and angiogenesis assay, as VK2 treatment reduced cell migration and angiogenesis potential of prostate cancer cells. Finally, in a nude mice model, VK2 administration resulted in significant inhibition of both androgen-dependent and androgen-independent tumor growth. Overall, our results suggest that VK2 may be a potential therapeutic agent in the treatment of prostate cancer.
Evidence for the Treatment of Osteoporosis with Vitamin D in Residential Care and in the Community Dwelling Elderly
Authors: Geddes John A. A. , Inderjeeth Charles A.
Published: August 2013

Introduction. Vitamin D is common treatment for osteoporosis. Both age >70 years and living in residential care are associated with increased fracture risk. Community dwelling elderly are a heterogeneous group who may have more similatiry with residential care groups than younger community dwelling counterparts.Aims. To review the evidence for cholecalciferol or ergocalciferol tretment of osteoporosis in either community dwelling patients aged ≥70 years of age, or redidential care patients. Secondly endpoints were changes in bone mineral denisty, and in bone turnover markers.Methods. We performed a literature search using search terms for osteoporosis and vitamin D. Treatment for at least one year was required.Results. Only one residential care study using cholecalciferol, showed non-vertebral and hip fracture reduction in vitamin D deficient subjects. In the community setting one quasi randomised study using ergocalciferol showed reduction in total but not hip or non-vertebral fracture, and a second randomised study showed increased hip fracture risk. Three studies reported increases in hip bone mineral denisty.Discussion. A minority of studies demonstrated a fracture benefit form vitamin D and one suggested possible harm in a community setting. Current practice should be to only offer this treatment to subjects identified as deficient.
Lingmao Formula Combined with Entecavir for HBeAg-Positive Chronic Hepatitis B Patients with Mildly Elevated Alanine Aminotransferase: A Multicenter, Randomized, Double-Blind, Placebo-Controlled Trial
Authors: Zhu Xiao-Jun , Sun Xue-Hua , Zhou Zheng-Hua , Liu Shun-Qing , Lv Hua , Li Man , Li Lu , Gao Yue-Qiu
Published: August 2013

Objective. To determine the efficacy and safety of Lingmao Formula combined with entecavir for HBeAg-positive chronic hepatitis B patients with mildly elevated alanine aminotransferase (ALT).Methods. 301 patients were randomly assigned to receive Lingmao Formula combined with entecavir (treatment group) or placebo combined with entecavir (control group) for 52 weeks. The outcomes of interest included the reduction of serum HBV DNA level, HBeAg loss, HBeAg seroconversion, ALT normalization, and histological improvement.Results. The mean decrease of serum HBV DNA level from baseline and the percentage of patients who had reduction in serum HBV DNA level ≥2 lg copies/mL in treatment group were significantly greater than that in control group (5.5 versus 5.4 lg copies/mL,P=0.010; 98.5% versus 92.6%,P=0.019). The percentage of HBeAg loss in treatment group was 22.8%, which was much higher than a percentage of 12.6% in control group (P=0.038). There was no significant difference between the two groups in histological improvement. Safety was similar in the two groups.Conclusions. The combination of Lingmao Formula with entecavir could result in significant decrease of serum HBV DNA and increase of HBeAg loss for HBeAg-positive chronic hepatitis B patients with mildly elevated ALT without any serious adverse events. Clinical trial registration number isChiCTR-TRC-09000594.
Thermal Stability of Glucokinases inThermoanaerobacter tengcongensis
Authors: Qian Zhong , Zhao Jingjing , Bai Xue , Tong Wei , Chen Zhen , Wei Hanfu , Wang Quanhui , Liu Siqi
Published: August 2013

In the genome ofThermoanaerobacter tengcongensis, three genes belonging to ROK (Repressor, ORF, and Kinase) family are annotated as glucokinases (GLKs). Using enzyme assays, the three GLKs were identified as ATP-dependent GLK (ATP-GLK), ADP-dependent GLK (ADP-GLK), and N-acetyl-glucosamine/mannosamine kinase (glu/man-NacK). The kinetic properties of the three GLKs such asKm,Vmax, optimal pH, and temperature were characterized, demonstrating that these enzymes performed the specific functions against varied substrates and under different temperatures. The abundance of ATP-GLK was attenuated when culture temperature was elevated and was almost undetectable at 80°C, whereas the ADP-GLK abundance was insensitive to temperature changes. Using degradation assays, ATP-GLK was found to have significantly faster degradation than ADP-GLK at 80°C. Co-immunoprecipitation results revealed that heat shock protein 60 (HSP60) could interact with ATP-GLK and ADP-GLK at 60 and 75°C, whereas at 80°C, the interaction was only effectively with ADP-GLK but not ATP-GLK. The functions of GLKs inT. tengcongensisare temperature dependent, likely regulated through interactions with HSP60.
Two-Stage Detectors with Multiple Energy Detectors and Adaptive Double Threshold in Cognitive Radio Networks
Authors: Bagwari Ashish , Tomar Geetam Singh
Published: August 2013

Cognitive radio (CR) is a regulated technique for opportunistic access of idle resources. In CR, spectrum sensing is one of the key functionalities. It is used to sense the unused spectrum in an opportunistic manner. In this paper, we have proposed two-stage detectors for spectrum sensing in cognitive radio networks (CRN). The first stage consists of multiple energy detectors (MED), where each energy detector (ED) is having single antenna with fixed threshold (MED_FT) for making a local binary decision, and if required, the second stage comprised of ED with adaptive double threshold (ED_ADT) is invoked. The detection performance of the proposed scheme is compared with cyclostationary-based sensing method and adaptive spectrum sensing scheme. Numerical results show that the proposed scheme improves detection performance and outperforms the cyclostationary-based sensing method and adaptive spectrum sensing by 12.3% and 14.4% at signal to noise ratio (SNR) setting of as low as −8 dB, respectively. Performance was also measured in terms of sensing time. It is shown that the proposed scheme yields smaller sensing time than cyclostationary detection and adaptive spectrum sensing scheme in the order of 4.3 ms and 0.1 ms at −20 dB SNR, respectively.
Carbon Micronymphaea: Graphene on Vertically Aligned Carbon Nanotubes
Authors: Choi Jong Won , Youn Seul Ki , Park Hyung Gyu
Published: August 2013

This paper describes the morphology of carbon nanomaterials such as carbon nanotube (CNT), graphene, and their hybrid structure under various operating conditions during a one‐step synthesis via plasma‐enhanced chemical vapor deposition (PECVD). We focus on the synthetic aspects of carbon hybrid material composed of heteroepitaxially grown graphene on top of a vertical array of carbon nanotubes, called carbon micronymphaea. We characterize the structural features of this unique nanocomposite by uses of electron microscopy and micro‐Raman spectroscopy. We observe carbon nanofibers, poorly aligned and well‐aligned vertical arrays of CNT sequentially as the growth temperature increases, while we always discover the carbon hybrids, called carbon micronymphaea, at specific cooling rate of 15°C/s, which is optimal for the carbon precipitation from the Ni nanoparticles in this study. We expect one‐pot synthesized graphene‐on‐nanotube hybrid structure poses great potential for applications that demand ultrahigh surface‐to‐volume ratios with intact graphitic nature and directional electronic and thermal transports.
Sustainability at the Edge of Chaos: Its Limits and Possibilities in Public Health
Authors: Hudson Christopher G. , Vissing Yvonne M.
Published: August 2013

This paper critically reviews the expanding literature on applications of sustainability to healthcare policy and planning. It argues that the concept has been overgeneralized and has become a buzzword masking disparate agendas. It ignores the insights of the newest generation of systems theory on complex systems on the ubiquity of far-from-equilibrium conditions. Yet, a central meaning often ascribed to sustainability is the level continuation of healthcare programs and their institutionalization. Sustainability is only coherent in health care when it is more narrowly delimited to involve public health and treated as only one of several evaluative criteria that informs not only the continuation of programs but more often their expansion or contraction as needs dynamically change.
Oral Glutamine Is Superior Than Oral Glucose to Promote Glycemia Recovery in Mice Submitted to Insulin-Induced Hypoglycemia
Authors: Nunes Santiago Amanda , Godoi-Gazola Vilma Aparecida Ferreira de , Fachin Milani Mariana , de Campos Vanessa Cristina , Rodrigues Vilela Vanessa , Diaz Pedrosa Maria Montserrat , Bazotte Roberto Barbosa
Published: August 2013

The effect of the oral administration of blood glucose precursors on glycemia recovery and liver glucose production in fasted mice subjected to insulin-induced hypoglycemia (IIH) was investigated. IIH was obtained with increasing doses (from 0.5 to 2.0 U·kg−1) of intraperitoneal regular insulin where glycemia was evaluated from 0 to 300 min after insulin injection. The dose of 1.0 U·kg−1showed the best results, that is, a clear glycemia recovery phase without convulsions or deaths. Thus, this dose was used in all experiments. Afterwards, mice submitted to IIH received orally by gavage: saline (control group), glucose (100 mg·kg−1), glycerol (100 mg·kg−1), lactate (100 mg·kg−1), alanine (100 mg·kg−1), or glutamine (100 mg·kg−1). It was observed that glutamine was more effective in promoting glycemia recovery if compared with glucose, lactate, glycerol, or alanine. In agreement with these results, the best performance in terms of liver glucose production was obtained when glutamine was used as glucose precursors. These results open perspectives for clinical studies to investigate the impact of oral administration of gluconeogenic amino acids to promote glycemia recovery during hypoglycemia.