bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Technical Note: Calculation of normal tissue complication probability using Gaussian error function model
Authors: Chow James C. L. , Markel Daniel , Jiang Runqing
Published: August 2010

Purpose:

The Gaussian error function was first used and verified in normal tissue complication probability (NTCP) calculation to reduce the dose‐volume histogram (DVH) database by replacing the dose‐volume bin set with the error function parameters for the differential DVH (dDVH).

Methods:

Seven‐beam intensity modulated radiation therapy (IMRT) treatment planning was performed in three patients with small, medium , and large prostate volume, selected from a group of 20 patients. Rectal dDVH varying with the interfraction prostate motion along the anterior‐posterior direction was determined by the treatment planning system (TPS) and modeled by the Gaussian error function model for the three patients. Rectal NTCP was then calculated based on the routine dose‐volume bin set of the rectum by the TPS and the error function model. The variations in the rectal NTCP with the prostate motion and volume were studied.

Results:

For the ranges of prostate motion of 8–2, 4–8, and 4–3 mm along the anterior‐posterior direction for the small, medium, and large prostate patient, the rectal NTCP was determined varying in the ranges of 4.6%–4.8%, 4.5%–4.7%, and 4.6%–4.7%, respectively. The deviation of the rectal NTCP calculated by the TPS and the Gaussian error function model was within ±0.1%.

Conclusions:

The Gaussian error function was successfully applied in the NTCP calculation by replacing the dose‐volume bin set with the model parameters. This provides an option in the NTCP calculation using a reduced size of dose‐volume database. Moreover, the rectal NTCP was found varying in about ±0.2% with the interfraction prostate motion along the anterior‐posterior direction in the radiation treatment. The dependence of the variation in the rectal NTCP with the interfraction prostate motion on the prostate volume was found to be more significant in the patient with larger prostate.
Dosimetric evaluation of the OneDose™ MOSFET for measuring kilovoltage imaging dose from image‐guided radiotherapy procedures
Authors: Ding George X. , Coffey Charles W.
Published: August 2010

Purpose:

The purpose of this study is to investigate the feasibility of using a single‐use dosimeter, OneDose™ MOSFET designed for in vivo patient dosimetry, for measuring the radiation dose from kilovoltage (kV) x rays resulting from image‐guided procedures.

Methods:

The OneDose™ MOSFET dosimeters were precalibrated by the manufacturer using Co‐60 beams. Their energy response and characteristics for kV x rays were investigated by using an ionization chamber, in which the air‐kerma calibration factors were obtained from an Accredited Dosimetry Calibration Laboratory (ADCL). The dosimetric properties have been tested for typical kV beams used in image‐guided radiation therapy (IGRT).

Results:

The direct dose reading from the OneDose™ system needs to be multiplied by a correction factor ranging from 0.30 to 0.35 for kilovoltage x rays ranging from 50 to 125 kVp, respectively. In addition to energy response, the OneDose™ dosimeter has up to a 20% reduced sensitivity for beams (70–125 kVp) incident from the back of the OneDose™ detector.

Conclusions:

The uncertainty in measuring dose resulting from a kilovoltage beam used in IGRT is approximately 20%; this uncertainty is mainly due to the sensitivity dependence of the incident beam direction relative to the OneDose™ detector. The ease of use may allow the dosimeter to be suitable for estimating the dose resulting from image‐guided procedures.
Comprehensive Expression Profiles of Genes for Protein Tyrosine Phosphatases in Immune Cells
Authors: Arimura Yutaka , Yagi Junji
Published: August 2010

Gene expression analysis suggests that protein tyrosine phosphatases exhibit immune cell–specific expression profiles.
Collection and Motif-Based Prediction of Phosphorylation Sites in Human Viruses
Authors: Schwartz Daniel , Church George M.
Published: August 2010

A database of known phosphorylation sites on viral proteins also enables the prediction of other potential sites.
As a Matter of Fak…
Authors: VanHook Annalisa M.
Published: August 2010

Focal adhesion kinase is required for intestinal tumorigenesis and regeneration but dispensable for homeostasis.
Repressing Repressors to Make Memories
Authors: Gough Nancy R.
Published: August 2010

By inhibiting the production of a microRNA, the deacetylase SIRT1 and the transcriptional repressor YY1 allow memory formation.
Complex Inhibition
Authors: Foley John F.
Published: August 2010

The
Drosophila
PP2A phosphatase complex dSTRIPAK dephosphorylates Hippo to inhibit Hippo signaling.
Making Roots
Authors: Hines Pamela J.
Published: August 2010

Short-range signaling by sulfated peptides maintains root stem cells.
Thr202Ala in
thyA
Is a Marker for the Latin American Mediterranean Lineage of the
Mycobacterium tuberculosis
Complex Rather than
Para
-Aminosalicylic Acid Resistance
Authors: Feuerriegel Silke , Köser Claudio , Trübe Leona , Archer John , Rüsch Gerdes Sabine , Richter Elvira , Niemann Stefan
Published: August 2010

Single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) involved in the development of resistance represent powerful markers for the rapid detection of first- and second-line resistance in clinical
Mycobacterium tuberculosis
complex (MTBC) isolates. However, the association between particular mutations and phenotypic resistance is not always clear-cut, and phylogenetic SNPs have been misclassified as resistance markers in the past. In the present study, we investigated the utility of a specific polymorphism in
thyA
(Thr202Ala) as a marker for resistance to
para
-aminosalicyclic acid (PAS). Sixty-three PAS-susceptible MTBC strains comprising all major phylogenetic lineages, reference strain H37Rv, and 135 multidrug-resistant (MDR) strains from Germany (comprising 8 PAS-resistant isolates) were investigated for the presence of Thr202Ala. In both strain collections, the Thr202Ala SNP was found exclusively in strains of the Latin American Mediterranean (LAM) lineage irrespective of PAS resistance. Furthermore, PAS MICs (0.5 mg/liter) for selected LAM strains (all containing the SNP) and non-LAM strains (not containing the SNP), as well as the results of growth curve analyses performed in liquid 7H9 medium in the presence of increasing PAS concentrations (0 to 2.0 mg/liter), were identical. In conclusion, our data demonstrate that the Thr202Ala polymorphism in
thyA
is not a valid marker for PAS resistance but, instead, represents a phylogenetic marker for the LAM lineage of the
M. tuberculosis
complex. These findings challenge some of the previous understanding of PAS resistance and, as a consequence, warrant further in-depth investigations of the genetic variation in PAS-resistant clinical isolates and spontaneous mutants.
In Vitro
and
In Vivo
Antifungal Susceptibilities of the Mucoralean Fungus
Cunninghamella
Authors: Pastor F. Javier , Ruíz-Cendoya Mery , Pujol Isabel , Mayayo Emilio , Sutton Deanna A. , Guarro Josep
Published: August 2010

We have determined the
in vitro
activities of amphotericin B (AMB), voriconazole, posaconazole (PSC), itraconazole (ITC), ravuconazole, terbinafine, and caspofungin against five strains of
Cunninghamella bertholletiae
and four of
Cunninghamella echinulata
. The best activity was shown by terbinafine against both species (MIC range = 0.3 to 0.6 μg/ml) and PSC against
Cunninghamella bertholletiae
(MIC = 0.5 μg/ml). We have also evaluated the efficacies of PSC, ITC, and AMB in neutropenic and diabetic murine models of disseminated infection by
Cunninghamella bertholletiae
. PSC at 40, 60, or 80 mg/kg of body weight/day was as effective as AMB at 0.8 mg/kg/day in prolonging survival and reducing the fungal tissue burden in neutropenic mice. PSC at 80 mg/kg/day was more effective than AMB at 0.8 mg/kg/day in reducing the fungal load in brain and lung of diabetic mice. Histological studies revealed an absence of fungal elements in organs of mice treated with either AMB at 0.8 mg/kg/day or PSC at 60 or 80 mg/kg/day in both models. ITC showed limited efficacy in both models. PSC could be a therapeutic option for the treatment of systemic infections caused by
Cunninghamella bertholletiae
.
Distinct Mutation Pathways of Non-Subtype B HIV-1 duringIn VitroResistance Selection with Nonnucleoside Reverse Transcriptase Inhibitors
Authors: Lai Ming-Tain , Lu Meiqing , Felock Peter J. , Hrin Renee C. , Wang Ying-Jie , Yan Youwei , Munshi Sanjeev , McGaughey Georgia B. , Tynebor Robert M. , Tucker Thomas J. , Williams Theresa M. , Grobler Jay A. , Hazuda Daria J. , McKenna Philip M. , Miller Michael D.
Published: August 2010

Studies were conducted to investigate mutation pathways among subtypes A, B, and C of human immunodeficiency virus type 1 (HIV-1) during resistance selection with nonnucleoside reverse transcriptase inhibitors (NNRTIs) in cell culture under low-multiplicity of infection (MOI) conditions. The results showed that distinct pathways were selected by different virus subtypes under increasing selective pressure of NNRTIs. F227C and Y181C were the major mutations selected by MK-4965 in subtype A and C viruses during resistance selection. With efavirenz (EFV), F227C and V106M were the major mutations responsible for viral breakthrough in subtype A viruses, whereas a single pathway (G190A/V106M) accounted for mutation development in subtype C viruses. Y181C was the dominant mutation in the resistance selection with etravirine (ETV) in subtype A, and E138K/H221Y were the mutations detected in the breakthrough viruses from subtype C viruses with ETV. In subtype B viruses, on the other hand, known NNRTI-associated mutations (e.g., Y181C, P236L, L100I, V179D, and K103N) were selected by the NNRTIs. The susceptibility of the subtype A and B mutant viruses to NNRTIs was determined in order to gain insight into the potential mechanisms of mutation development. Collectively, these results suggest that minor differences may exist in conformation of the residues within the NNRTI binding pocket (NNRTIBP) of reverse transcriptase (RT) among the three subtypes of viruses. Thus, the interactions between NNRTIs and the residues in the NNRTIBPs of different subtypes may not be identical, leading to distinct mutation pathways during resistance selection in cell culture.
GES Extended-Spectrum β-Lactamases in
Acinetobacter baumannii
Isolates in Belgium
Authors: Bogaerts Pierre , Naas Thierry , El Garch Farid , Cuzon Gaelle , Deplano Ariane , Delaire Tugba , Huang Te-Din , Lissoir Benedicte , Nordmann Patrice , Glupczynski Youri
Published: August 2010

During a PCR-based surveillance study of β-lactam resistance, 125 multidrug-resistant (MDR)
Acinetobacter baumannii
isolates were obtained from 18 hospitals in Belgium from January 2008 to December 2009. Nine GES-positive
A. baumannii
isolates were detected at 6 Belgian hospitals. DNA sequencing of the
bla
GES
genes identified GES-11, GES-12, and a novel variant GES-14, which differs from GES-11 by a single amino acid substitution (Gly170Ser). All index isolates were travel associated and originated from patients transferred from Turkey (
n
= 2), Egypt (
n
= 2), and Palestinian territories (Gaza) (
n
= 2). A nosocomial outbreak involving three additional patients occurred in a burn unit at a single hospital. No clonal relatedness could be established between the 6 index isolates by pulsed-field gel electrophoresis (PFGE) analysis. Three different alleles (the plasmid-located
bla
GES-11
and
bla
GES-12
and a likely chromosomally located novel variant
bla
GES-14
) were detected as part of a class 1 integron, also including the
aac6
′
Ib
and
dfrA7
genes. Restriction analysis of plasmids suggests a common origin for the plasmids bearing
bla
GES-11
and
bla
GES-12
. Cloning of the
bla
GES
genes in
E
scherichia
coli
identified GES-14 as hydrolyzing imipenem, while GES-12 showed the highest specific activity against ceftazidime. This report highlights the emergence of various
bla
GES-like
genes, especially those conferring carbapenem resistance in
A. baumannii
and its importation in Western Europe from Middle Eastern countries.
Characterization of the CpxRA Regulon in
Haemophilus ducreyi
Authors: Labandeira-Rey Maria , Brautigam Chad A. , Hansen Eric J.
Published: August 2010

The
H
aemophilus
ducreyi
35000HP genome encodes a homolog of the CpxRA two-component cell envelope stress response system originally characterized in
E
scherichia
coli
. CpxR, the cytoplasmic response regulator, was shown previously to be involved in repression of the expression of the
lspB-lspA2
operon (M. Labandeira-Rey, J. R. Mock, and E. J. Hansen, Infect. Immun. 77:3402-3411, 2009). In the present study, the
H. ducreyi
CpxR and CpxA proteins were shown to closely resemble those of other well-studied bacterial species. A
cpxA
deletion mutant and a CpxR-overexpressing strain were used to explore the extent of the CpxRA regulon. DNA microarray and real-time reverse transcriptase (RT) PCR analyses indicated several potential regulatory targets for the
H. ducreyi
CpxRA two-component regulatory system. Electrophoretic mobility shift assays (EMSAs) were used to prove that
H. ducreyi
CpxR interacted with the promoter regions of genes encoding both known and putative virulence factors of
H. ducreyi
, including the
lspB-lspA2
operon, the
flp
operon, and
dsrA.
Interestingly, the use of EMSAs also indicated that
H. ducreyi
CpxR did not bind to the promoter regions of several genes predicted to encode factors involved in the cell envelope stress response. Taken together, these data suggest that the CpxRA system in
H. ducreyi
, in contrast to that in
E. coli
, may be involved primarily in controlling expression of genes not involved in the cell envelope stress response.
Interaction of
Candida albicans
Cell Wall Als3 Protein with
Streptococcus gordonii
SspB Adhesin Promotes Development of Mixed-Species Communities
Authors: Silverman Richard J. , Nobbs Angela H. , Vickerman M. Margaret , Barbour Michele E. , Jenkinson Howard F.
Published: August 2010

Candida albicans
colonizes human mucosa and prosthetic surfaces associated with artificial joints, catheters, and dentures. In the oral cavity,
C. albicans
coexists with numerous bacterial species, and evidence suggests that bacteria may modulate fungal growth and biofilm formation.
Streptococcus gordonii
is found on most oral cavity surfaces and interacts with
C. albicans
to promote hyphal and biofilm formation. In this study, we investigated the role of the hyphal-wall protein Als3p in interactions of
C. albicans
with
S. gordonii
. Utilizing an
ALS3
deletion mutant strain, it was shown that cells were not affected in initial adherence to the salivary pellicle or in hyphal formation in the planktonic phase. However, the Als3
−
mutant was unable to form biofilms on the salivary pellicle or deposited
S. gordonii
DL1 wild-type cells, and after initial adherence,
als3
Δ
/als3
Δ (Δ
ALS3
) cells became detached concomitant with hyphal formation. In coaggregation assays,
S. gordonii
cells attached to, and accumulated around, hyphae formed by
C. albicans
wild-type cells. However, streptococci failed to attach to hyphae produced by the Δ
ALS3
mutant.
Saccharomyces cerevisiae
S150-2B cells expressing Als3p, but not control cells, supported binding of
S. gordonii
DL1. However,
S. gordonii
Δ(
sspA sspB
) cells deficient in production of the surface protein adhesins SspA and SspB showed >50% reduced levels of binding to
S. cerevisiae
expressing Als3p.
Lactococcus lactis
cells expressing SspB bound avidly to
S. cerevisiae
expressing Als3p, but not to S150-2B wild-type cells. These results show that recognition of
C. albicans
by
S. gordonii
involves Als3 protein-SspB protein interaction, defining a novel mechanism in fungal-bacterial communication.
“Please keep an eye on your younger sister”: sibling supervision and young children's risk of unintentional injury
Authors: Morrongiello Barbara A , Schell Stacey L , Schmidt Sarah
Published: August 2010

Objectives

Parental supervision reduces young children's risk of unintentional injuries, but supervision by older siblings has been shown to increase risk. The current study explored how this differential risk of injury may arise.

Methods

The supervision behaviours of mothers were compared to those of their older children when each was the designated supervisor of a young child in their family in a setting having ‘contrived hazards’.

Results

Mothers engaged in more proactive safety behaviours by removing hazards, whereas older siblings more often modelled injury-risk behaviours by interacting with hazards, and supervisees were likely to interact with hazards the older sibling touched. Supervisees displayed more injury-risk behaviours when supervised by a sibling, yet sibling supervisors were less attentive to supervisee risk behaviours than mothers. Supervisees also were more non-compliant with older siblings than mothers when requested to stop risk taking.

Conclusions

Both supervisor and supervisee behaviour patterns contribute to increase the risk of injury when older siblings supervise younger ones.
Cycling through data
Authors: Savage Neil
Published: August 2010

Sensor-equipped bicycles are providing valuable data to cyclists, city planners, and computer scientists.
Constraint satisfaction problems and global cardinality constraints
Authors: Bulatov Andrei A. , Marx Dániel
Published: August 2010

In a constraint satisfaction problem (CSP) the goal is to find an assignment of a given set of variables subject to specified constraints. A global cardinality constraint is an additional requirement that prescribes how many variables must be assigned a certain value. We study the complexity of the problem CCSP(Γ), the CSP with global cardinality constraints that allows only relations from the set Γ. The main result of this paper characterizes sets Γ that give rise to problems solvable in polynomial time, and states that the remaining such problems are NP-complete.
Measuring and policing blocking times in real-time systems
Authors: Santos Osmar Marchi Dos , Wellings Andy
Published: August 2010

In real-time systems, the execution-time overrun of a thread may lead to a deadline being missed by the thread or even others threads in the system. From a fault tolerance perspective, both execution time overruns and deadline misses can be considered timing errors that could potentially cause a failure in the system's ability to deliver its services in a timely manner. In this context, the ideal is to detect the error in the system as soon as possible, so that the propagation of the error can be limited and error recovery strategies can take place with more accurate information. The run-time support mechanism usually deployed for monitoring the timing requirements of real-time systems is based on deadline monitoring, that is, the system calls specific application code whenever a deadline is violated. Recognizing that deadline monitoring may not be enough for providing an adequate level of fault tolerance for timing errors, major real-time programming standards, like Ada, POSIX and the Real-Time Specification for Java (RTSJ), have proposed different mechanisms for monitoring the execution time of threads. Nevertheless, in order to provide a complete fault tolerance approach for timing errors, the potential blocking time of threads also has to be monitored. In this article, we propose mechanisms for measuring and policing the blocking time of threads in the context of both
basic priority inheritance
and
priority ceiling protocols
. The notion of
blocking-time clocks and timers
for the POSIX standard is proposed, implemented and evaluated in the open-source real-time operating system MaRTE OS. Also, a
blocking time monitoring model
for measuring and policing blocking times in the RTSJ framework is specified. This model is implemented and evaluated in the (RTSJ-compliant) open-source middleware jRate, running on top of MaRTE OS.
Nonblocking real-time garbage collection
Authors: Schoeberl Martin , Puffitsch Wolfgang
Published: August 2010

A real-time garbage collector has to fulfill two basic properties: ensure that programs with bounded allocation rates do not run out of memory and provide short blocking times. Even for incremental garbage collectors, two major sources of blocking exist, namely, root scanning and heap compaction. Finding root nodes of an object graph is an integral part of tracing garbage collectors and cannot be circumvented. Heap compaction is necessary to avoid probably unbounded heap fragmentation, which in turn would lead to unacceptably high memory consumption. In this article, we propose solutions to both issues.

Thread stacks are local to a thread, and root scanning, therefore, only needs to be atomic with respect to the thread whose stack is scanned. This fact can be utilized by either blocking only the thread whose stack is scanned, or by delegating the responsibility for root scanning to the application threads. The latter solution eliminates blocking due to root scanning completely. The impact of this solution on the execution time of a garbage collector is shown for two different variants of such a root scanning algorithm.

During heap compaction, objects are copied. Copying is usually performed atomically to avoid interference with application threads, which could render the state of an object inconsistent. Copying of large objects and especially large arrays introduces long blocking times that are unacceptable for real-time systems. In this article, an interruptible copy unit is presented that implements nonblocking object copy. The unit can be interrupted after a single word move.

We evaluate a real-time garbage collector that uses the proposed techniques on a Java processor. With this garbage collector, it is possible to run high-priority hard real-time tasks at 10 kHz parallel to the garbage collection task on a 100 MHz system.
No-Heap remote objects for distributed real-time Java
Authors: Basanta-Val Pablo , García-Valls Marisol , Estévez-Ayres Iria
Published: August 2010

This article presents an approach to providing real-time support for Java's Remote Method Invocation (RMI) and its integration with the RTSJ memory model in order to leave out garbage collection. A new construct for remote objects, called
No-heap Remote object
(
NhRo
), is introduced. The use of a NhRo guarantees that memory required to perform a remote invocation (at the server side) does not use heap memory. Thus, the aim is to avoid garbage collection in the remote invocation process, improving predictability and memory isolation of distributed Java-based real-time applications. The article presents the bare model and the main programming patterns that are associated with the NhRo model. Sun RMI implementation has been modified to integrate the NhRo model in both static and dynamic environments.
Recovering from distributable thread failures in distributed real-time Java
Authors: Curley Edward , Ravindran Binoy , Anderson Jonathan , Jensen E. Douglas
Published: August 2010

We consider the problem of recovering from the failures of distributable threads (“threads”) in distributed real-time systems that operate under runtime uncertainties including those on thread execution times, thread arrivals, and node failure occurrences. When a thread experiences a node failure, the result is a broken thread having an orphan. Under a termination model, the orphans must be detected and aborted, and exceptions must be delivered to the farthest, contiguous surviving thread segment for resuming thread execution. Our application/scheduling model includes the proposed distributable thread programming model for the emerging Distributed Real-Time Specification for Java (DRTSJ), together with an exception-handler model. Threads are subject to time/utility function (TUF) time constraints and an utility accrual (UA) optimality criterion. A key underpinning of the TUF/UA scheduling paradigm is the notion of “best-effort” where higher importance threads are always favored over lower importance ones, irrespective of thread urgency as specified by their time constraints. We present a thread scheduling algorithm called HUA and a thread integrity protocol called TPR. We show that HUA and TPR bound the orphan cleanup and recovery time with bounded loss of the best-effort property. Our implementation experience for HUA/TPR in the Reference Implementation of the proposed programming model for the DRTSJ demonstrates the algorithm/protocol's effectiveness.
Visual query suggestion
Authors: Zha Zheng-Jun , Yang Linjun , Mei Tao , Wang Meng , Wang Zengfu , Chua Tat-Seng , Hua Xian-Sheng
Published: August 2010

Query suggestion is an effective approach to bridge the
Intention Gap
between the users' search intents and queries. Most existing search engines are able to automatically suggest a list of textual query terms based on users' current query input, which can be called Textual Query Suggestion. This article proposes a new query suggestion scheme named Visual Query Suggestion (VQS) which is dedicated to image search. VQS provides a more effective query interface to help users to precisely express their search intents by joint text and image suggestions. When a user submits a textual query, VQS first provides a list of suggestions, each containing a keyword and a collection of representative images in a dropdown menu. Once the user selects one of the suggestions, the corresponding keyword will be added to complement the initial query as the new textual query, while the image collection will be used as the visual query to further represent the search intent. VQS then performs image search based on the new textual query using text search techniques, as well as content-based visual retrieval to refine the search results by using the corresponding images as query examples. We compare VQS against three popular image search engines, and show that VQS outperforms these engines in terms of both the quality of query suggestion and the search performance.
Wireless sensor network for volcano environments
Authors: Varaprasad G.
Published: August 2010

Recent technological advances in the areas of microcontroller architectures, sensors and low power wireless transceivers have made it possible to deploy large wireless sensors. There have been numerous research results in the area of power efficiency in the adhoc and wireless sensor networks. In this paper, we propose a new algorithm, which is used to monitor the events about anomalous behaviors of the volcanic edifice. This model uses the sensor devices to monitor the volcano with the help of support node to detect early hazards. It has consumed fewer amounts of the resources while transmitting the data packets from the regular node to the base station. It is compared with the existing algorithms and has shown better results in terms of power consumption and control message packets over the network.
Task migration for fault-tolerance in mixed-criticality embedded systems
Authors: Saraswat Prabhat Kumar , Pop Paul , Madsen Jan
Published: August 2010

In this paper we are interested in mixed-criticality embedded applications implemented on distributed architectures. Depending on their time-criticality, tasks can be hard or soft real-time and regarding safety-criticality, tasks can be fault-tolerant to transient faults, permanent faults, or have no dependability requirements. We use Earliest Deadline First (EDF) scheduling for the hard tasks and the Constant Bandwidth Server (CBS) for the soft tasks. The CBS parameters determine the quality of service (QoS) of soft tasks. Transient faults are tolerated using checkpointing with rollback recovery. For tolerating permanent faults in processors, we use task migration, i.e., restarting the safety-critical tasks on other processors. We propose a Greedy-based online heuristic for the migration of safety-critical tasks, in response to permanent faults, and the adjustment of CBS parameters on the target processors, such that the faults are tolerated, the deadlines for the hard real-time tasks are satisfied and the QoS for soft tasks is maximized. The proposed online adaptive approach has been evaluated using several synthetic benchmarks and a real-life case study.
A programming language for adaptation control
Authors: Aboubekr Soufyane , Delaval Gwenaél , Rutten Éric
Published: August 2010

We illustrate an approach for the safe design of adaptive embedded systems. It applies the BZR programming language, featuring a special new contract mechanism: its compilation involves automatical discrete controller synthesis. The contribution of this paper is to illustrate how it can be used to enforce the correct adaptation control of the application, meeting execution constraints, with the case study of a video module of a multimedia cellular phone.
Variant of Lemierre's Syndrome Secondary to Trauma
Authors: Bukari Sani M. , Roxas Renato , Kamat Deepak
Published: August 2010

Classic Lemierre's syndrome is a septic internal jugular venous (IJV) thrombophlebitis secondary to oropharyngeal anaerobic infection in adolescent and young adult. Though upper respiratory tract infection is the most common antecedent, it has also been described following skin, soft tissues, genitourinary and gastrointestinal infections. Fusobacteria necrophorum is the commonest pathogen isolated from blood and tissue cultures but other bacteria like Eikenella correndens, Bacteroides melaninogenicus and Non Group A Streptococcal species have also been reported. The overall incidence of Lemierre's and Lemierre's like syndromes has declined since the first case report in 1936. There is however, a resurgence of cases in recent years due to more judicious use of antibiotics for treatment of upper respiratory tract infection among medical practitioners. The main stay of treatment of complete Lemierre's syndrome is prolonged antibiotic coverage and surgical drainage of nonresolving abscesses. Currently, there is no consensus opinion on the use of anticoagulation in patient with complete Lemierre's syndrome complicated by septic internal jugular thrombosis and embolism. High index of suspicion is required for early diagnosis of Lemierre's and Lemierre's like syndromes. Early and effective antibiotics therapy may prevent the development full spectrum of the syndrome and its associated complication.
Erythropoiesis and Iron Sulfur Cluster Biogenesis
Authors: Ye Hong , Rouault Tracey A.
Published: August 2010

Erythropoiesis in animals is a synchronized process of erythroid cell differentiation that depends on successful acquisition of iron. Heme synthesis depends on iron through its dependence on iron sulfur (Fe-S) cluster biogenesis. Here, we review the relationship between Fe-S biogenesis and heme synthesis in erythropoiesis, with emphasis on the proteins, GLRX5, ABCB7, ISCA, and C1orf69. These Fe-S biosynthesis proteins are highly expressed in erythroid tissues, and deficiency of each of these proteins has been shown to cause anemia in zebrafish model. GLRX5 is involved in the production and ABCB7 in the export of an unknown factor that may function as a gauge of mitochondrial iron status, which may indirectly modulate activity of iron regulatory proteins (IRPs). ALAS2, the enzyme catalyzing the first step in heme synthesis, is translationally controlled by IRPs. GLRX5 may also provide Fe-S cofactor for ferrochelatase, the last enzyme in heme synthesis. ISCA and C1orf69 are thought to assemble Fe-S clusters for mitochondrial aconitase and for lipoate synthase, the enzyme producing lipoate for pyruvate dehydrogenase complex (PDC). PDC and aconitase are involved in the production of succinyl-CoA, a substrate for heme biosynthesis. Thus, many steps of heme synthesis depend on Fe-S cluster assembly.
Human Echinococcosis: A Neglected Disease
Authors: da Silva António Menezes
Published: August 2010

Echinococcosis is among the most neglected parasitic diseases. Development of new drugs and other treatment modalities receives very little attention, if any. In most developed countries, Cystic Echinococcosis (CE) is an imported disease of very low incidence and prevalence and is found almost exclusively in migrants from endemic regions. In endemic regions, predominantly settings with limited resources, patient numbers are high. Whole communities do not have access to appropriate treatment. The choice of treatment modalities is limited because of poor infrastructure and shortage of equipment and drugs. In this context, CE meets the criteria for a neglected disease. Furthermore, the terminology related to the designations around the parasite, its evolution and some therapeutic procedures is not uniform and sometimes inappropriate terms and wrong designations are used based on incorrect concepts. Although all of us know the different aspects of the disease it is pertinent to remember some important points and, above all, to clarify some aspects concerning the hydatid cyst's nomenclature in order to understand better the therapeutic options in the liver locations, particularly the different surgical approaches.
Structural Impediments to Condom Access in a High HIV/STI-Risk Area
Authors: Rizkalla Christine , Bauman Laurie J. , Avner Jeffrey R.
Published: August 2010

As embarrassment is a known obstacle to condom acquisition, selling condoms from physically inaccessible places that require personnel assistance constitutes a barrier to access. This study investigates the extent of this barrier in the Bronx, a high HIV/STI prevalence county of New York. 75 of 320 listed Bronx pharmacies were sampled via computer randomization. Investigators coded condom placement and physical accessibility within these pharmacies and 140 surrounding stores. 91% of sites sold condoms. In 82%, condoms could not be accessed without assistance. Condoms were physically inaccessible in venues most encountered in the community: grocery stores versus pharmacies (OR=15; 95% CI, 5–48), independent versus chain pharmacies (OR=32; 95% CI, 6–235). They were physically inaccessible more in the lowest SES/highest HIV prevalence areas versus the highest SES/lowest HIV prevalence areas (OR = 4.3, 95% CI, 1.1–17). Findings can inform efforts to increase accessibility of condoms, distribute condoms in alternative settings, and prompt similar investigations in other high-risk communities.
Argatroban administration reduces leukocyte adhesion and improves capillary perfusion within the intestinal microcirculation in experimental sepsis
Authors: Fuchs Christian , Ladwig Elena , Zhou Juan , Pavlovic Dragan , Behrend Kristina , Whynot Sara , Hung Orlando , Murphy Michael , Cerny Vladimir , Lehmann Christian
Published: August 2010

Co-activation of pro-coagulatory pathways in sepsis may result in disseminated intravascular coagulation and contributes to microvascular dysfunction. We investigated the effects of the direct thrombin inhibitor, argatroban (ARG), on the sepsis-induced impairment of the intestinal microcirculation (capillary perfusion, leukocyte adhesion) and the vascular contractility in rats. Forty male Lewis rats were randomly assigned to one of four groups: sham surgery (SHAM), experimental sepsis (colon ascendens stent peritonitis – CASP), CASP+ARG, and SHAM+ARG. At 16 hours after colon stent insertion (or sham surgery), 2 mg/kg argatroban or buffer were given intravenously, and 1 hour thereafter, intravital microscopy was performed. In addition, experiments to study the impact of ARG on vascular contractility were conducted in vitro. ARG administration in CASP rats significantly increased functional capillary density in mucosal (+128%) and muscular layers (longitudinal: +42%; circular: +64%) and decreased the number of firmly adhering leukocytes in the intestinal submucosa compared to untreated animals. In vitro findings indicated a vasodilating effect of ARG. ARG administration during experimental sepsis improved intestinal microcirculation by preserving functional capillary density, an indicator of microvascular perfusion, and by reducing leukocyte adherence to the endothelium in submucosal venules.
Constrained Evolutionary Optimization by Means of (μ + λ)-Differential Evolution and Improved Adaptive Trade-Off Model
Authors: Wang Yong , Cai Zixing
Published: August 2010

This paper proposes a (μ + λ)-differential evolution and an improved adaptive trade-off model for solving constrained optimization problems. The proposed (μ + λ)-differential evolution adopts three mutation strategies (i.e., rand/1 strategy, current-to-best/1 strategy, and rand/2 strategy) and binomial crossover to generate the offspring population. Moreover, the current-to-best/1 strategy has been improved in this paper to further enhance the global exploration ability by exploiting the feasibility proportion of the last population. Additionally, the improved adaptive trade-off model includes three main situations: the infeasible situation, the semi-feasible situation, and the feasible situation. In each situation, a constraint-handling mechanism is designed based on the characteristics of the current population. By combining the (μ + λ)-differential evolution with the improved adaptive trade-off model, a generic method named (μ + λ)-constrained differential evolution ((μ + λ)-CDE) is developed. The (μ + λ)-CDE is utilized to solve 24 well-known benchmark test functions provided for the special session on constrained real-parameter optimization of the 2006 IEEE Congress on Evolutionary Computation (CEC2006). Experimental results suggest that the (μ + λ)-CDE is very promising for constrained optimization, since it can reach the best known solutions for 23 test functions and is able to successfully solve 21 test functions in all runs. Moreover, in this paper, a self-adaptive version of (μ + λ)-CDE is proposed which is the most competitive algorithm so far among the CEC2006 entries.
Spatial Perspective and Coordinate Systems in Autoscopy: A Case Report of a “Fantome de Profil” in Occipital Brain Damage
Authors: Bolognini Nadia , Làdavas Elisabetta , Farnè Alessandro
Published: August 2010

Autoscopic phenomena refer to complex experiences involving the illusory reduplication of one's own body. Here we report the third long-lasting case of autoscopy in a patient with right occipital lesion. Instead of the commonly reported frontal mirror view (fantôme spéculaire), the patient saw her head and upper trunk laterally in side view (fantôme de profil). We found that the visual appearance and completeness of the autoscopic image could be selectively modulated by active and passive movements, without being influenced by imagining the same movements or by tactile and auditory stimulation. Eyes closure did not disrupt either the perception of the autoscopic body or the effects of the motor stimulation. Moreover, the visual body reduplication was coded neither in purely eye-centered nor in head-centered frames of reference, suggesting the involvement of egocentric coordinate systems (eyes and head centered). A follow-up examination highlighted the stability of the visual characteristics of the body reduplication and its shift induced by displacement of both head and eyes. These findings support the view that autoscopic phenomena have a multisensory motor origin and proprioceptive signals may play an important role in modulating the illusory visual reduplication of the patient's own body, most likely via cross-modal modulation of extrastriate areas involved in body and face perception.
The Psychic Cost of Doing Wrong
Authors: Kammeyer-Mueller John D. , Simon Lauren S. , Rich Bruce L.
Published: August 2010

Many employees feel ethically conflicted at work, but research has yet to identify the specific mechanisms that give rise to this sense of ethical conflict. The authors propose that ethical conflicts occur when companies encourage employees to behave counter to their own sense of right and wrong during the process of organizational socialization. Employees who are subject to these pressures experience psychological distress. The authors’ study of 371 early career lawyers found that divestiture socialization was positively related to ethical conflict and that ethical conflict was related to higher emotional exhaustion and lower career fulfillment. Ethical conflict partially mediated the relationship between divestiture socialization and emotional exhaustion. Narrative comments provided by respondents reinforced the relationship between divestiture socialization and ethical conflict.
Lung Cancer and Environmental Chemical Exposure: A Review of Our Current State of Knowledge With Reference to the Role of Hormones and Hormone Receptors as an Increased Risk Factor for Developing Lung Cancer in Man
Authors: Fucic Alexsandra , Gamulin Marija , Ferencic Zeljko , Rokotov Dinko Stancic , Katic Jelena , Bartonova Alena , Lovasic Ingrid Belac , Merlo Domenico Franco
Published: August 2010

Lung cancer is a dominant cause of cancer mortality. The etiology of lung cancer is mainly related to cigarette smoking, airborne genotoxic carcinogens, and arsenic, but its sex-specific incidence suggests that other mechanisms, such as hormones, may also be involved in the process of carcinogenesis. A number of agents commonly present in the living environment can have dual biological effects: not only are they genotoxic / carcinogenic, but they are also hormonally active as xenoestrogens. This dualism may explain sex-specific differences reported in both types and incidence of lung cancer. In a novel approach to investigate the complexity of lung cancer, etiology, including systems biology, will be used as a tool for a simultaneous interpretation of measurable environmental and biological parameters. Using this approach, the etiology of human lung cancer can be more thoroughly investigated using the available data from oncology and environmental health. The information gained could be applied in the introduction of preventive measures, in personalized medicine, and in more relevant legislation, which should be adjusted to reflect the current knowledge on the complex environmental interactions underlying this life-threatening disease.
Activists Within the Academy: The Role of Prior Experience in Adult Learners’ Acquisition of Postgraduate Literacies in a Postapartheid South African University
Authors: Cooper Linda
Published: August 2010

The article takes as a case study a group of disability rights activists who were given access to a master’s program via Recognition of Prior Learning. The question explored is “Can adult learners’ prior experiential knowledge act as a resource for the successful acquisition of postgraduate academic literacy practices?” The analysis is framed theoretically by Bourdieu’s notions of habitus, capital, and field. It is argued that adult learners’ acquisition of postgraduate literacies is an outcome of the interplay between three factors: (a) student habitus and dispositions, (b) pedagogic agency, and (c) the nature of the disciplinary field. Although the program under investigation made complex demands on students, lecturers’ understanding of student habitus enabled students’ prior experiential knowledge to be tapped as a resource. However, students also exercised agency in negotiating the forms of academic habitus acquired, and the trajectory of their agency involved a mix of accommodation, resistance, and challenge.
Illnesses of the will in ‘pre-psychiatric’ times
Authors: Haack Kathleen , Kumbier Ekkehardt , Herpertz Sabine C
Published: August 2010

Since its emergence as a medical discipline in its own right, i.e. since the end of the eighteenth century, disorders of the will have constituted a major area of interest for psychiatrists. But even before then, in ‘pre-psychiatric’ times so to speak, there were occasional descriptions of illnesses of the will or, in the nomenclature used at the time, ‘ambiguous emotional states of minds’. This study presents some very early attempts to tackle and explain the problems of amentia occulta, manie sans délire and monomania in German literature, concentrating on works written from a medical and philosophical perspective. Beginning with the differentiation between will and reason, this study explores some concepts in which the will was perceived as a possible cause of mental illness and thus became a topic of medical interest.
From stack-firing to pyromania: medico-legal concepts of insane arson in British, US and European contexts, c. 1800-1913. Part 1
Authors: Andrews Jonathan
Published: August 2010

This article surveys evolving and competing medico-legal concepts of pyromania and insane arson. Exploiting evidence from medical jurisprudence, medico-legal publications, medical lexicography and case histories, it seeks to explicate the key positions in contemporary professional debates concerning arson and mental derangement. A major focus is the application of the doctrines of moral and partial insanity, monomania, instinctive insanity and irresistible impulse to understandings of pyromania and insane arson. The limited extent to which mental defect provided a satisfactory diagnosis and exculpatory plea for morbid arson is also explored. Additionally, this article compares and contrasts contemporary debates about other special manias, especially kleptomania. Part 2 will be published in the next issue, History of Psychiatry 21(4).
The GENERATE project: Curricular and pedagogical inspiration from parents and their children working together
Authors: Barnes Jonathan
Published: August 2010

This report summarizes GENERATE, a pilot research project conducted by 12 artists and their children 3—14. Simply put, these artist/art educator/parents allowed their own children unlimited access to their studios, materials, equipment and workspaces for two years. During that time the children were able to work alongside their parents on making combined and separate art works and contribute to a series of public exhibitions. The project was sponsored by The Turner Contemporary in Margate and the University of the Creative Arts (UCA).

The artist/parents kept logs or diaries of what happened, and attended a series of joint meetings to discuss developments. At the same time a series of public workshops were organized (sometimes from a large trailer parked in a shopping centre car park) in which other children and parents from Thanet, Kent were encouraged to spend time making art together.

The researcher collected evidence of the progress of the project from observations, discussions, telephone and email communications, photographs and the logs of the artists involved. The report discusses the challenges this project has raised regarding:

• definitions of creativity

• adult artist’s conceptions of art

• the motivations towards creativity

• the teach-ability of creativity

• parenting

• inter-generational learning

• child-led aspects of schooling.
Orders is orders . . . aren’t they? Rule bending and rule breaking in the British Army
Authors: Kirke Charles
Published: August 2010

In common with all professional armies, the British Army is a disciplined force. There is a sharply stratified rank structure and formal rules abound. There is a prima facie case therefore that when formal rules are broken or bent the individuals involved are taking part in acts of ‘resistance’ or ‘misbehaviour’ or ‘dissent’, implying a binary opposition of interests between junior and senior. However, in this article I seek to provide a more nuanced approach to identify a range of rule bending and rule breaking processes embedded in the organizational culture at unit level, through a small number of case studies. To assist in the process, Goffman’s model of ‘underlife’ is adopted and extended for the British Army case, but only as a framework to assist in locating the observed events in the rich cultural milieu in which they take place. Viewed in this way, rule bending/breaking activities can be seen as complex and intricate events involving both those who break or bend the formal rules and the agents of authority in a continuing social process, part of the weft and warp of everyday life at regimental duty.