bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Urinary control after the definitive reconstruction of cloacal anomaly
Authors: SHIMADA KENJI , MATSUMOTO FUMI , TOHDA AKIRA , AINOYA KEIKO
Published: July 2005

Purpose: Urinary control after definitive repair of a cloacal anomaly is difficult to achieve. The present report aims to describe the clinical course of urinary control, and the need for the management of bladder dysfunction after reconstruction.

Methods: The present consecutive series consisted of 11 girls who underwent definitive repair of cloacal anomalies over a period of 11 years. Eight patients were associated with hydrocolpos. Radiological examination included a plain X‐ray radiograph of the lumbosacral spine and a voiding cystourethrography with or without a urodynamic study.

Results: Reconstruction of the cloaca was performed on patients aged between 1 and 3 years using a posterior sagittal approach. Vaginal reconstruction was carried out 13 times in 11 patients using tubularized vaginal flap, distal rectal segment, perineal skin flap, or total urogenital sinus mobilization. Cystostomy or vesicostomy was carried out in four newborns/infants. Another seven patients could void spontaneously but incompletely with residual urine. Occult spinal dysraphism was found in five patients and hemisacrum in two patients. After definitive reconstruction, most patients acquired an adequate to normal bladder volume for 1‐year‐olds. Normal detrusor–sphincter function was seen in three patients. Detrusor areflexia was seen in two patients who underwent in utero vesico‐amniotic shunt. Detrusor underactivity was observed in six patients. Bladder compliance was good in all patients except for one. No patients in the present series showed persistent urinary incontinence from the bladder neck or urethral dysfunction.

Conclusion: It is postulated that wetting after definitive repair may be the result of overflow incontinence and poor bladder contractility rather than sphincter injury. The main clinical characteristic of bladder dysfunction was a failure to empty. We could not define the exact etiology, but iatrogenic injury from extensive dissection can lead to the higher risks of peripheral nerve damage. Accomplishment of definitive repair involves not only anatomical reconstruction, but also postoperative urinary control, including the initiation of clean intermittent catheterizations under repeated urodynamic evaluations.
Molecular evaluation of the SRY gene for gonads of patients with mixed gonadal dysgenesis
Authors: MIZUNO KENTARO , KOJIMA YOSHIYUKI , TOZAWA KEIICHI , SASAKI SHOICHI , HAYASHI YUTARO , KOHRI KENJIRO
Published: July 2005

Aim: To determine whether the SRY gene is present in the gonads of patients with mixed gonadal dysgenesis (MGD).

Methods: Molecular analysis was performed in three patients with MGD. Polymerase chain reactions were used to test for the presence of the SRY gene in the peripheral lymphocytes, testes and streak gonads.

Results: Chromosome analysis revealed 45,XO/46,XY in two patients, and 46,XY in the third patient. In the peripheral lymphocytes and testicular tissue, the SRY sequences were positive in all cases. However, the SRY sequence was detected in the streak gonad in only two of the three patients.

Conclusions: It is interesting that we identified both SRY‐positive and SRY‐negative streak gonads. Although the SRY gene has a very important role in testicular differentiation, genes other than the SRY gene might also influence the development of the indifferent gonad in MGD.
Urinary tract involvement in a child with epidermolysis bullosa simplex
Authors: TIRELI GULAY A , UNAL MURAT , DEMIRALI OYHAN , SANDER SERDAR
Published: July 2005

Abstract Epidermolysis bullosa is a rare disorder which may present various systemic involvement. We present a 15‐month‐old boy with epidermolysis bullosa simplex who was admitted with symptoms of hematuria and dysuria and discuss the pathology from a urological standpoint.
Severe ischemia of the glans penis following circumcision: A successful treatment via pentoxifylline
Authors: ASLAN ADNAN , KARAGÜZEL GÜNGÖR , MELIKOǦLU MUSTAFA
Published: July 2005

Abstract Severe ischemia or necrosis of glans penis is rare. We report the case of an 11‐year‐old boy with severe glanular ischemia occurring 24 h after circumcision. This was successfully treated with pentoxifylline injection for 5 days, and while the black color of the glans penis changed to brownish at 48 h, appearances were close to normal at 5 days. The patient did not require any surgical intervention, and was discharged without sequelae. We suggest that pentoxifylline might be considered as a treatment of choice for severe ischemia of glans penis.
Renal artery pseudoaneurysm after laparoscopic partial nephrectomy for renal cell carcinoma in a solitary kidney
Authors: NEGORO HIROMITSU , KAWAKITA MUTSUSHI , KODA YOICHI
Published: July 2005

Abstract Renal artery pseudoaneurysms are a well‐documented complication following trauma or percutaneous urological procedures, but are rare after partial nephrectomy. We present the case of a 34‐year‐old woman who, after undergoing a left nephrectomy in childhood due to Wilms’ tumor, had a pseudoaneurysm in a solitary kidney after laparoscopic right partial nephrectomy with extraperitoneal approach for a renal cell carcinoma. The segmental renal artery feeding the pseudoaneurysm was embolized with coils without significant loss of residual renal function.
Complete duplication of the bladder, urethra and external genitalia in a male neonate with an imperforate anus
Authors: VOIGT HEINRICH R , WENTZEL SCHALK W
Published: July 2005

Abstract A rare case of a male neonate with complete duplication of the bladder, urethra and external genitalia with associated anomalies is reported. In addition to the above, the patient had a hypoplastic left kidney, bilateral bifid scrotums (four hemi‐scrotums), an imperforate anus and a mass on the perineum.
Intravesical tape erosion following the tension‐free vaginal tape procedure for stress urinary incontinence
Authors: NEGORO HIROMITSU , KAWAKITA MUTSUSHI , IMAI YUKIHIRO
Published: July 2005

Abstract We report a case of intravesical tape erosion which occurred 6 months after the tension‐free vaginal tape (TVT) procedure, which was successfully treated by partial tape removal. A 75‐year‐old woman, who had complained of recurrent cystitis after TVT procedure, was referred to Kobe City General Hospital in August 2003. The intravesical tape erosion was revealed by cystoscopy and computed tomography, and the tape was removed with a retropubic approach. The recurrent cystitis has been cured and the stress urinary incontinence has not recurred. The intravesical tape erosion was rare, with only seven reported cases including the present case.
Endoscopic treatment of multiple prostatic calculi causing urinary retention
Authors: BEDIR SELAHATTIN , KILCILER METE , AKAY OZAN , ERDEMIR FIKRET , AVCI ALI , ÖZGÖK YASAR
Published: July 2005

Abstract Although prostatic calculi are relatively common, the etiology of these stones is not clear. We report a case with multiple prostatic calculi causing urinary obstruction and a concomitant bladder stone. We treated these stones endoscopically. We found a lot of different sized stones endoscopically, some protruding into the urethra, some filling different cavities on the prostate. So these cavities suggest prostatic calculi may occur related to intraprostatic reflux in the congenital or acquired diverticulum of the prostatic tissue. In addition, the stone composition of the bladder and prostatic stones was the same. All of these results show that the origin of bladder and prostatic stones can be the same. This case also supports a theory of intraprostatic reflux and urine stasis.
Combined small cell carcinoma and sarcomatoid squamous cell carcinoma in the renal pelvis
Authors: SHIMASAKI NOBUYUKI , INOUE KEIJI , NISHIGAWA HIROSHI , KURODA NAOTO , SHUIN TARO
Published: July 2005

Abstract We report here a case of combined small cell carcinoma and sarcomatoid squamous cell carcinoma in the renal pelvis. A 61‐year‐old female presented with right flank discomfort, microhematuria and progressive renal dysfunction. Following diagnosis of right renal pelvic carcinoma, radical nephroureterectomy with lymph node dissection was performed through a midline incision. The tumor was pathologically diagnosed to be combined small cell carcinoma and sarcomatoid squamous cell carcinoma in the renal pelvis. The patient had no evidence of recurrence or metastasis, 16 months postoperatively. Small cell carcinoma or sarcomatoid squamous cell carcinoma of the renal pelvis is very rare. We believe this is the first such case to be reported in the world.
Surgical management of vaginal wound healing defects after tension‐free vaginal tape placement
Authors: LEE TACK , KIM JUN‐SIG , JUNG JIN‐KWAN , LEE HUN‐JAE
Published: July 2005

Abstract The use of tension‐free vaginal tape (TVT) made of polypropylene mesh carries the risk of causing vaginal wound healing defects, which are usually detected within 4 weeks of operation. We present three cases of vaginal wound healing defects after TVT procedures. These defects were managed using surgical techniques aimed at preserving the mesh, but all failed. There are many options for dealing with the problems of vaginal wounds following TVT. These include further observation, mesh removal, suturing the wound, or using tissue flaps to cover it. However, the latter two options cannot be recommended as they usually fail.
When summative computer‐aided assessments go wrong: disaster recovery after a major failure
Authors: Harwood Ian
Published: July 2005

This case study outlines the events of a recent summative computer‐aided assessment (CAA) failure involving 280 first‐year undergraduate students. Post‐test analysis found that the central server had become unexpectedly overloaded, thereby causing the CAA to be abandoned. Practical advice on just what to do in the event of a summative CAA failure is virtually non‐existent in the related literature. In response, this paper provides a detailed account of the post‐failure analysis and recovery activities from a practitioner's (ie, academic) viewpoint. Supported by empirical evidence, the research shows how the concept of “optional substitution” was developed as a pragmatic, equitable, and broadly acceptable solution to the problem.
Building an evaluation culture and evidence base for e‐learning in three Hong Kong universities
Authors: McNaught Carmel , Lam Paul
Published: July 2005

The paper presents a strategy for the systematic evaluation of course websites built under the project e3Learning that operates across three universities in Hong Kong. Tailor‐made evaluation plans were produced for each website; the evaluation was conducted by an evaluation officer, and a report was provided to each teacher, thus supporting continuous development. To date, 58 cases of evaluation data have been collected. In this paper, a meta‐analysis across these cases is presented in order to see which are the most useful web‐assisted functions currently in use in Hong Kong universities. This study indicates the following four functions as being most useful: learning tools such as glossaries, notes and PowerPoints, assessment tasks associated with grades, and creation and exhibition of multimedia projects. The reasons for these rankings are postulated.
Building learning communities: foundations for good practice
Authors: Davies Alison , Ramsay Jill , Lindfield Helen , Couperthwaite John
Published: July 2005

The School of Health Sciences at the University of Birmingham provided opportunities for the development of student learning communities and online resources within the neurological module of the BSc Physiotherapy degree programme. These learning communities were designed to facilitate peer and independent learning in core aspects underpinning clinical practice, thus laying the foundation for the development of effective clinical reasoning.

This paper examines some of the problems that staff encountered, including the lessons that they learnt through the design, development, and implementation processes of the module, and the subsequent modifications that were made. Student experiences of this course are also included, as they provided staff with further insights into the ways in which these problems impacted upon their preparation for clinical practice and how the module might be improved for future cohorts. From an analysis of the problems that staff encountered and then sought to resolve, and of student experiences of the course, this paper identifies foundations for good practice in the development and delivery of innovative learning and teaching methods.
Creating an information‐rich learning environment to enhance design student learning: challenges and approaches
Authors: McGill Lou , Nicol David , Littlejohn Allison , Grierson Hilary , Juster Neal , Ion William J.
Published: July 2005

The use of technology with engineering design students is well established, with shared workspaces being particularly supportive of the collaborative design process. This paper reports on a study where a design knowledge framework involving three learning loops was used to analyse the effectiveness of shared workspaces and digital repositories in supporting design education. The issues discussed include the relationship between knowledge and information structures, the importance of integrating information literacy support, and the need for different systems within the learning environment to support formal and informal storage of resources. These issues are explored within the context of experiences of working in a multidisciplinary team with different approaches, research methodologies, and discourses.
It's installed ... now get on with it! Looking beyond the software to the cultural change
Authors: Bell Malcolm , Bell Wendy
Published: July 2005

This case study looks at the lessons learned from the ultimately successful implementation of the Blackboard Managed Learning Environment at Northumbria University and explores how these are now being applied to the matching implementation at a local further education college, which we are supporting. The study identifies key aspects that emerged from Northumbria's experience—the application of models of innovation from both educational and business worlds, the need to take account of the impact of cultural change, the need for effective staff development for all stakeholders, the need for a ‘road map’ for the development, and the need for ongoing dialogue with clients (staff) and customers (students). It reflects upon how Northumbria's approach has led to the emergence of a learning organisation that is adaptive and responsive and how a business approach can be applied to higher and further education innovations.
Performance in e‐learning: online participation and student grades
Authors: Davies Jo , Graff Martin
Published: July 2005

The beneficial effects of learners interacting in online programmes have been widely reported. Indeed, online discussion is argued to promote student‐centred learning. It is therefore reasonable to suggest that the benefits of online discussion should translate into improved student performance. The current study examined the frequency of online interaction of 122 undergraduates and compared this with their grades at the end of the year. The findings revealed that greater online interaction did not lead to significantly higher performance for students achieving passing grades; however, students who failed in their courses tended to interact less frequently. Other factors that may be salient in online interactions are discussed.
NUMERICAL RENORMALIZATION GROUP METHOD IN WEAKLY COUPLED QUANTUM SPIN CHAINS: COMPARISON WITH EXACT DIAGONALIZATION
Authors: ALVAREZ J. V. , MOUKOURI S.
Published: July 2005

We show that numerical quasi-one-dimensional renormalization group allows accurate study of weakly coupled spin chains with modest computational effort. We perform a systematic comparison with exact diagonalization results in two- and three-leg spin ladders with a transverse Hamiltonian that can involve frustration. Due to the variational nature of the algorithm, the accuracy can be arbitrarily improved enlarging the basis of eigenstates in the transverse direction. We observe that the precision of the algorithm is directly correlated to the binding of the chains. We also show that the method performs especially well in magnetically frustrated systems.
EVALUATION OF ONE- AND TWO-ELECTRON MULTICENTER INTEGRALS OF YUKAWA-LIKE SCREENED CENTRAL AND NONCENTRAL INTERACTION POTENTIALS OVER SLATER ORBITALS USING ADDITION THEOREMS
Authors: GUSEINOV I. I. , MAMEDOV B. A.
Published: July 2005

By the use of complete orthonormal sets of Ψα-exponential type orbitals (Ψα-ETOs, where α =1, 0, -1, -2, …), the series expansion formulae are established for the one- and two-electron multicenter integrals of arbitrary Yukawa-like screened central and noncentral interaction potentials (YSCPs and YSNCPs) in terms of two- and three-center overlap integrals of three Slater type orbitals (STOs). The convergence of the series is tested by the concrete cases of parameters. The formulae given in this study for the evaluation of one- and two-electron multicenter integrals of YSCPs and YSNCPs show good rate of convergence and numerical stability.
NONEXISTENCE OF d-WAVE-SUPERCONDUCTIVITY IN THE QUANTUM MONTE CARLO SIMULATION OF THE HUBBARD MODEL
Authors: MATUTTIS HANS-GEORG , ITO NOBUYASU
Published: July 2005

For the existence of d-wave-superconductivity in the Hubbard model, previous quantum Monte Carlo results by other authors, which showed a power law increase of the d-wave susceptibility, seem to contradict a recently published theorem. We show those quantum Monte Carlo calculations were numerically contaminated, analyze the numerical problem and propose a numerically more stable computing scheme.
THERMAL LATTICE BOLTZMANN SIMULATION OF VISCOUS FLOW IN A SQUARE CAVITY
Authors: LÜ XIAO-YANG , ZHANG CHAO-YING , LIU MU-REN , KONG LING-JIANG , LI HUA-BING
Published: July 2005

The 13-speed thermal lattice Bhatnagar–Gross–Krook model on hexagonal lattice is a single relaxation time model with an adjustable parameter λ which makes the Prandtl number tunable. This model maintains the simplicity of the lattice Boltzmann method (LBM) and is also suitable for various thermal fluids. In this paper, it is applied to simulations of the lid-driven flow in a square cavity at a wide range of Reynolds numbers. Numerical experiments show that this model can give the same accurate results as those by the conventional numerical methods.
MATHEMATICAL MODELING OF AN AUTOMATIC DRIVER
Authors: JANSE VAN RENSBURG T. , VAN WYK M. A. , STEEB W.-H.
Published: July 2005

The design of driving simulators is common practice within the simulation industry. Normally, the focus is on the modeling of realistic vehicle dynamics models. However, the design of a realistic simulation environment is of equal importance. A human driver usually steers one vehicle, but the rest of the vehicles used in the simulation should be managed by a computer program. In this article, an automatic driver model to be used within the simulation environment, is described. The automatic driver uses the same vehicle dynamics model as the human driver would use. It also uses the vehicle characteristics in such a way to obtain the optimal performance of the vehicle.
THE TRICRITICAL BEHAVIOR OF THE 3D BLUME–CAPEL MODEL ON A CELLULAR AUTOMATON
Authors: KUTLU B. , ÖZKAN A. , SEFEROĞLU N. , SOLAK A. , BINAL B.
Published: July 2005

The three-dimensional BC model is simulated on a cellular automaton which improved from the Creutz cellular automaton for simple cubic lattice. The phase diagram characterizing phase transition of the model is obtained for a comparison with those obtained from other calculations. The simulations confirm the existence of a tricritical point at which the phase transition changes from second-order to first-order at D/J =2.82. For the determined of the tricritical point, the thermodynamics quantities are computed using two different procedures which is called as the standard and the cooling algorithm for the anisotropy parameter values in the interval 3≥D/J≥-8. The simulations indicates that the cooling algorithm is a suitable procedure for the calculations near the first-order phase transition region, and the cooling rate is an important parameter in the determining of the phase boundary. The estimated critical temperatures for D/J =0 and 2.82 are compatible with the series expansion results.
AN EMBEDDED 5(4) PAIR OF MODIFIED EXPLICIT RUNGE–KUTTA METHODS FOR THE NUMERICAL SOLUTION OF THE SCHRÖDINGER EQUATION
Authors: VAN DE VYVER HANS
Published: July 2005

A new way for constructing efficient embedded modified Runge–Kutta methods for the numerical solution of the Schrödinger equation is presented in this paper. The methods of the embedded scheme have algebraic orders five and four. Applications of the new pair to the elastic scattering phase-shift problem and coupled differential equations of Schrödinger type indicate that the new pair is much more efficient than other well known comparable embedded Runge–Kutta pairs.
RELATIVISTIC ENERGY, OSCILLATOR STRENGTHS AND TRANSITION RATES OF THE 1s2 2 ln l 1S(m)(n =2–6, m1–5) STATES FOR Be-LIKE SYSTEM
Authors: ZHANG MENG , GOU BING-CONG
Published: July 2005

Variational calculations are carried out with a multiconfiguration-interaction wave function to obtain the relativistic energies of the 1s2 2 ln l 1 S (m)(n =2–6, m1–5) states for the beryllium isoelectronic sequence (Z =4–10). Relativistic corrections and the mass polarization effects are evaluated with the first-order perturbation theory. The identifications of the energy levels for 1s2 2 ln l 1 S (m)(n =2–6, m1–5) states in the Be-like ions are reported. The oscillator strengths, transition rates and wavelengths are also calculated. The calculated results are compared with other theoretical and experimental data in the literature.
PARALLELIZATION OF A MOLECULAR DYNAMICS SIMULATION OF AN ION-SURFACE COLLISION SYSTEM: Ar–Ni(100)
Authors: ATİŞ MURAT , ÖZDOĞAN CEM , GÜVENÇ ZİYA B.
Published: July 2005

Parallel molecular dynamics simulation study of the ion-surface collision system is reported. A sequential molecular dynamics simulation program is converted into a parallel code utilizing the concept of parallel virtual machine (PVM). An effective and favorable algorithm is developed. Our parallelization of the algorithm shows that it is more efficient because of the optimal pair listing, linear scaling, and constant behavior of the internode communications. The code is tested in a distributed memory system consisting of a cluster of eight PCs that run under Linux (Debian 2.4.20 kernel). Our results on the collision system are discussed based on the speed up, efficiency and the system size. Furthermore, the code is used for a full simulation of the Ar–Ni (100) collision system and calculated physical quantities are presented.
THREE-DIMENSIONAL GEOMETRY WITHIN A DRIVING SIMULATOR
Authors: JANSE VAN RENSBURG T. , VAN WYK M. A. , STEEB W.-H.
Published: July 2005

Three-dimensional coordinate transformations are an essential part of the realistic visual display within a driving simulator. They are also used in other simulators such as flight simulators and for robotics. In this paper, the mathematical framework for implementing three-dimensional coordinate transformations is presented, provided with more detail for implementing it in a programming language such as C++. The realistic positioning of an observer for the "behind and above" view in a driving simulator will be discussed as an application of coordinate system transformations.
FREQUENCY DEPENDENT EFFECTIVE CONDUCTIVITY OF TWO-DIMENSIONAL METAL–DIELECTRIC COMPOSITES
Authors: ZEKRI LOTFI
Published: July 2005

We analyze a random resistor–inductor–capacitor (RLC) lattice model of two-dimensional metal–insulator composites. The results are compared with Bruggeman's and Landauer's Effective Medium Approximations where a discrepancy was observed for some frequency zones. Such a discrepancy is mainly caused by the strong conductivity fluctuations. Indeed, a two-branches distribution is observed for low frequencies. We show also by increasing the system size that at pc the so-called Drude peak vanishes; it increases for vanishing losses.
AREA SPECTRUM OF KERR AND EXTREMAL KERR BLACK HOLES FROM QUASINORMAL MODES
Authors: SETARE MOHAMMAD R. , VAGENAS ELIAS C.
Published: July 2005

Motivated by the recent interest in quantization of black hole area spectrum, we consider the area spectrum of Kerr and extremal Kerr black holes. Based on the proposal by Bekenstein and others that the black hole area spectrum is discrete and equally spaced, we implement Kunstatter's method to derive the area spectrum for the Kerr and extremal Kerr black holes. The real part of the quasinormal frequencies of Kerr black hole used for this computation is of the form mΩ where Ω is the angular velocity of the black hole horizon. The resulting spectrum is discrete but not as expected uniformly spaced. Thus, we infer that the function describing the real part of quasinormal frequencies of Kerr black hole is not the correct one. This conclusion is in agreement with the numerical results for the highly damped quasinormal modes of Kerr black hole recently presented by Berti, Cardoso and Yoshida. On the contrary, extremal Kerr black hole is shown to have a discrete area spectrum which in addition is evenly spaced. The area spacing derived in our analysis for the extremal Kerr black hole area spectrum is not proportional to ln 3. Therefore, it does not give support to Hod's statement that the area spectrum [Formula: see text] should be valid for a generic Kerr–Newman black hole.
DEPENDENCE OF COULOMB SUM RULE ON THE SHORT RANGE CORRELATION BY USING Av18 POTENTIAL
Authors: MODARRES M. , MOEINI H. , MOSHFEGH H. R.
Published: July 2005

The Coulomb sum rule (CSR) and structure factor are calculated for inelastic electron scattering from nuclear matter at zero and finite temperature in the nonrelativistic limit. The effect of short-range correlation (SRC) is presented by using lowest order constrained variational (LOCV) method and the Argonne Av18 and Δ-Reid soft-core potentials. The effects of different potentials as well as temperature are investigated. It is found that the nonrelativistic version of Bjorken scaling approximately sets in at the momentum transfer of about 1.1 to 1.2 GeV/c and the increase of temperature makes it to decrease. While different potentials do not significantly change CSR, the SRC improves the Coulomb sum rule and we get reasonably close results to both experimental data and others theoretical predictions.
DUAL GAUGE STRUCTURE AND SUPERSYMMETRY IN FERMIONIC-σ MODEL
Authors: KOU SU-PENG
Published: July 2005

In this paper, we show a dual gauge structure in the (2+1) D fermionic-σ model. For this model, there exists a confinement–deconfinement transition between ordered state and quantum disordered state. At the quantum critical point the effective Lagrangian is reduced to the massless, non-interacting Wess–Zumino model with an N = 1 supersymmetry.
ENTROPY COUNTING OF SUPERTUBES
Authors: HYAKUTAKE YOSHIFUMI
Published: July 2005

In this paper we review the properties of supertubes in type IIA superstring theory. The supertube is a tubular D2-brane which carries D0-brane charge N0, fundamental string charge N1 and angular momentum J. Even if we fix two charges N0, N1 and angular momentum J, a generic supertube has degrees of freedom to deform its shape of the cross-section. We explicitly count this degeneracy and evaluate the entropy of supertubes from the field theoretical viewpoint.
A CANONICAL APPROACH TO THE EINSTEIN–HILBERT ACTION IN TWO SPACETIME DIMENSIONS
Authors: KIRIUSHCHEVA N. , KUZMIN S. V. , MCKEON D. G. C.
Published: July 2005

The canonical structure of the Einstein–Hilbert Lagrange density [Formula: see text] is examined in two spacetime dimensions, using the metric density [Formula: see text] and symmetric affine connection [Formula: see text] as dynamical variables. The Hamiltonian reduces to a linear combination of three first-class constraints with a local SO (2, 1) algebra. The first-class constraints are used to find a generator of gauge transformations that has a closed off-shell algebra and which leaves the Lagrangian and det (hμν) invariant. These transformations are distinct from diffeomorphism invariance, and are gauge transformations characterized by a symmetric matrix ζμν.
DIRAC OSCILLATORS AND QUASI-EXACTLY SOLVABLE OPERATORS
Authors: BRIHAYE Y. , NININAHAZWE A.
Published: July 2005

The Dirac equation is formulated in the background of three types of physically relevant potentials: scalar, vector and "Dirac-oscillator" potentials. Assuming these potentials to be spherically-symmetric and with generic polynomial forms in the radial variable, we construct the corresponding radial Dirac equation. Cases where this linear spectral equation is exactly solvable or quasi-exactly solvable are worked out in details. When available, relations between the radial Dirac operator and some super-algebra are pointed out.
MASSES OF LIGHT MESONS IN THE RELATIVISTIC QUARK MODEL
Authors: EBERT D. , FAUSTOV R. N. , GALKIN V. O.
Published: July 2005

The masses of the S-wave mesons consisting of the light (u, d, s) quarks are calculated within the constituent quark model. The relativistic Schrödinger-like equation with a confining potential is numerically solved for the complete relativistic [Formula: see text] potential including both spin-independent and spin-dependent terms. The obtained masses of the ground state π, ρ, K, K* and ϕ mesons and their first radial excitations are in a reasonably good overall agreement with experimental data.
INTERRELATED TWO-WAY CLUSTERING AND ITS APPLICATION ON GENE EXPRESSION DATA
Authors: TANG CHUN , ZHANG AIDONG
Published: July 2005

Microarray technologies are capable of simultaneously measuring the signals for thousands of messenger RNAs and large numbers of proteins from single samples. Arrays are now widely used in basic biomedical research for mRNA expression profiling and are increasingly being used to explore patterns of gene expression in clinical research. Most research has focused on the interpretation of the meaning of the microarray data which are transformed into gene expression matrices where usually the rows represent genes, the columns represent various samples. Clustering samples can be done by analyzing and eliminating of irrelevant genes. However, majority methods are supervised (or assisted by domain knowledge), less attention has been paid on unsupervised approaches which are important when little domain knowledge is available. In this paper, we present a new framework for unsupervised analysis of gene expression data, which applies an interrelated two-way clustering approach on the gene expression matrices. The goal of clustering is to identify important genes and perform cluster discovery on samples. The advantage of this approach is that we can dynamically manipulate the relationship between the gene clusters and sample groups while conducting an iterative clustering through both of them. The performance of the proposed method with various gene expression data sets is also illustrated.
MINING GENOME VARIATION TO ASSOCIATE GENETIC DISEASE WITH MUTATION ALTERATIONS AND ORTHO/PARALOGOUS POLIMORPHYSMS IN TRANSCRIPTION FACTOR BINDING SITE
Authors: PONOMARENKO JULIA , ORLOVA GALINA , MERKULOVA TATYANA , VASILIEV GENNADY , PONOMARENKO MIKHAIL
Published: July 2005

We have developed a system rSNP_Guide, , predicting the transcription factor (TF) binding sites on DNA, which mutation-caused alterations may explain disease penetration. rSNP_Guide uses the detected alterations in the mutant DNA binding to unknown TF caused by diseases and, upon the DNA sequences, calculates the alterations in known TF sites so that to select only the known ones with calculated alterations in the best consistence with those detected. Our system has been control tested on the SNP's with known site-disease relationships. For practical aims, two TF sites associated with diseases were predicted and confirmed by the immune assay with anti-TF antibodies. In the case of tumor susceptibility, the GATA site in the second intron of mouse K-ras gene was truly predicted, whereas mutation damage of this site causes tumor resistance. In the case of alcohol dependencies and others behavioral diseases, the mutation-caused spurious YY1 site in the sixth intron of human tryptophan 2,3-dioxygenase (TDO2) gene was successfully predicted. Finally, sixteen non-documented TF sites localizable at both orthologous and paralogous genes were first characterized by three rates "present", "weakened" or "absent", with significance estimated by rSNP_Guide relatively to six TF sites with known mutation-caused alterations in DNA/TF-binding.
DISCOVERING COMMON STRUCTURAL MOTIFS OF RIBOSOMAL RNA SECONDARY STRUCTURES IN PROKARYOTES
Authors: HUANG HSIEN-DA , HORNG JORNG-TZONG , WU LI-CHENG , FANG SHU-FEN
Published: July 2005

Certain structural motifs, like tetra-loops, in ribosomal RNA are known to functionally implicate in virtually every aspect of protein synthesis. Ribosomal RNA molecules were also widely used as a tool in molecular evolutionary studies because of their ubiquity, size and low evolutionary rate. In this study, we adapt a data mining approach to discover common structural motifs, and then we use a machine learning approach to identify discriminating CSMs from groups of organisms. Finally, we construct phylogeneitc trees to investigate the evolution of ribosomal RNA by serving the CSMs discovered as targets, which are used to estimate the evolutionary relatedness between organisms. The aim of this study is to discover common structural motifs (CSMs), i.e., those single-strain regions shared in ribosomal RNA secondary structures by several organisms, which are related to specific domains or functions. We discover a set of common structural motifs from several data sets of Archaea and Bacteria. Significant CSMs are then induced by a decision tree. Furthermore, phylogenetic trees are constructed based on CSMs and primary sequences of SSU 16 S ribosomal RNA.
GENE CLASSIFICATION USING EXPRESSION PROFILES: A FEASIBILITY STUDY
Authors: KURAMOCHI MICHIHIRO , KARYPIS GEORGE
Published: July 2005

As various genome sequencing projects have already been completed or are near completion, genome researchers are shifting their focus to functional genomics. Functional genomics represents the next phase, that expands the biological investigation to studying the functionality of genes of a single organism as well as studying and correlating the functionality of genes across many different organisms. Recently developed methods for monitoring genome-wide mRNA expression changes hold the promise of allowing us to inexpensively gain insights into the function of unknown genes. In this paper we focus on evaluating the feasibility of using supervised machine learning methods for determining the function of genes based solely on their expression profiles. We experimentally evaluate the performance of traditional classification algorithms such as support vector machines and k-nearest neighbors on the yeast genome, and present new approaches for classification that improve the overall recall with moderate reductions in precision. Our experiments show that the accuracies achieved for different classes varies dramatically. In analyzing these results we show that the achieved accuracy is highly dependent on whether or not the genes of that class were significantly active during the various experimental conditions, suggesting that gene expression profiles can become a viable alternative to sequence similarity searches provided that the genes are observed under a wide range of experimental conditions.
WIRELESS DISTRIBUTED IMPLEMENTATION OF A FUZZY NEURAL CLASSIFICATION SYSTEM
Authors: PERTSELAKIS MINAS , FERLES CHRISTOS , TSIOLIS KOSTAS , STAFYLOPATIS ANDREAS
Published: July 2005

Recent years have seen a surge of interest in the field of pervasive context-aware computing. In this framework we propose a novel real implementation of an adaptive self-configurable system, applied within the scope of wireless ad-hoc networks. WiDFuNC is an integrated system that consists of an intelligent unit implemented on a real PDA, a number of sensors and a remote server device to form an efficient prototype system that can be applied in various domains. This implementation of WiDFuNC focuses on pure classification problems with satisfactory experimental results, presenting great adaptability and context-awareness.
XML CLUSTERING AND RETRIEVAL THROUGH PRINCIPAL COMPONENT ANALYSIS
Authors: WANG JASON T. L. , LIU JIANGHUI , WANG JUNHAN
Published: July 2005

XML is increasingly important in data exchange and information management. A great deal of efforts have been spent in developing efficient techniques for storing, querying, indexing and accessing XML documents. In this paper we propose a new approach to clustering XML data. In contrast to previous work, which focused on documents defined by different DTDs, the proposed method works for documents with the same DTD. Our approach is to extract features from documents, modeled by ordered labeled trees, and transform the documents to vectors in a high-dimensional Euclidean space based on the occurrences of the features in the documents. We then reduce the dimensionality of the vectors by principal component analysis (PCA) and cluster the vectors in the reduced dimensional space. The PCA enables one to identify vectors with co-occurrent features, thereby enhancing the accuracy of the clustering. We also discuss an extension of our techniques to XML retrieval. Experimental results based on documents obtained from Wisconsin's XML data bank show the effectiveness and good performance of the proposed techniques.
A GENERAL METHOD FOR CONVERGENCE THEOREMS OF FUZZY SET-VALUED RANDOM VARIABLES AND ITS APPLICATIONS TO MARTINGALES AND UNIFORM AMARTS
Authors: LI SHOUMEI , ZHANG JINPING
Published: July 2005

In this paper, we shall first give a general method for convergence theorem of fuzzy set-valued random variables. By using this "sandwich" method, we give the proofs of convergence theorems for fuzzy set-valued martingales, sub- and supermartingales in the sense of the extended Hausdorff metric H∞. Also we shall state a convergence result about uniform amarts.
ON COMPLEMENTARY LOGICAL CONNECTIVES AND RELATIVE COMPLEMENTS
Authors: ALSINA CLAUDI , TRILLAS ENRIC
Published: July 2005

We characterize logical connectives given by t-norms and t-conorms which are N-complementary with respect to a strong negation. We clarify the relation between this notion and the usual N-duality as well as its implications concerning the validity of the classical-like Excluded-Middle and Non-Contradiction laws in Fuzzy Logic.
ON FILLING-IN MISSING CONDITIONAL PROBABILITIES IN CAUSAL NETWORKS
Authors: PARIS J. B.
Published: July 2005

This paper considers the problem and appropriateness of filling-in missing conditional probabilities in causal networks by the use of maximum entropy. Results generalizing earlier work of Rhodes, Garside & Holmes are proved straightforwardly by the direct application of principles satisfied by the maximum entropy inference process under the assumed uniqueness of the maximum entropy solution. It is however demonstrated that the implicit assumption of uniqueness in the Rhodes, Garside & Holmes papers may fail even in the case of inverted trees. An alternative approach to filling in missing values using the limiting centre of mass inference process is then described which does not suffer this shortcoming, is trivially computationally feasible and arguably enjoys more justification in the context when the probabilities are objective (for example derived from frequencies) than by taking maximum entropy values.
APPLICATION AND ROBUSTNESS DESIGN OF FUZZY CONTROLLER FOR RESONANT AND CHAOTIC SYSTEMS WITH EXTERNAL DISTURBANCE
Authors: HSIAO FENG-HSIAG , CHIANG WEI-LING , CHEN CHENG-WU , XU SHENG-DONG , WU SHIH-LIN
Published: July 2005

A robustness design of fuzzy control via model-based approach is proposed in this paper to overcome the effect of approximation error between nonlinear system and Takagi-Sugeno (T-S) fuzzy model. T-S fuzz model is used to model the resonant and chaotic systems and the parallel distributed compensation (PDC) is employed to determine structures of fuzzy controllers. Linear matrix inequality (LMI) based design problems are utilized to find common definite matrices P and feedback gains K satisfying stability conditions derived in terms of Lyapunov direct method. Finally, the effectiveness and the feasibility of the proposed controller design method is demonstrated through numerical simulations on the chaotic and resonant systems.
AN ARTIFICIAL NETWORK FOR REASONING IN THE CANCELLATION CLASS WITH APPLICATION TO THE DIAGNOSIS OF CELLS DIVISION
Authors: ROMDHANE LOTFI BEN
Published: July 2005

Causal reasoning is a hard task that cognitive agents perform reliably and quickly. A particular class of causal reasoning that raises several difficulties is the cancellation class. Cancellation occurs when a set of causes (hypotheses) cancel each other's explanation with respect to a given effect (observation). For example, a cloudy sky may suggest a rainy weather; whereas a shiny sky may suggest the absence of rain. In this work we extend a recent neural model to handle cancellation interactions. Simulation results are very satisfactory and should encourage research.
A SOLUTION FOR SYSTEMS OF LINEAR FUZZY EQUATIONS IN SPITE OF THE NON-EXISTENCE OF A FIELD OF FUZZY NUMBERS
Authors: VROMAN ANNELIES , DESCHRIJVER GLAD , KERRE ETIENNE E.
Published: July 2005

In this paper we investigate whether the fuzzy arithmetic based on Zadeh's extension principle could be improved by redefining the fuzzy addition and multiplication so that the class of fuzzy numbers combined with these operations would constitute a field. We will prove that such a fuzzy arithmetic does not exist. This has important consequences for solving systems of linear fuzzy equations. Despite the lack of inverses, we propose a method to solve approximately such systems.
ON CONNECTION BETWEEN UNCERTAINTY ALGEBRAIC HYPERSYSTEMS AND PROBABILITY SPACES
Authors: DAVVAZ B.
Published: July 2005

Using the concept of triangular norm, we define T-fuzzy subalgebraic hypersystems, we examine a number of extended uncertainty algebraic hypersystems and study a few results in this respect. In fact, we define a probabilistic version of algebraic hypersystems using random sets. We show that fuzzy algebraic hypersystems defined in triangular norms are consequences of probabilistic algebraic hypersystems under certain conditions.
INTERVAL PIECEWISE REGRESSION MODEL WITH AUTOMATIC CHANGE-POINT DETECTION BY QUADRATIC PROGRAMMING
Authors: YU JING-RUNG , TZENG GWO-HSHIUNG , LI HAN-LIN
Published: July 2005

To handle large variation data, an interval piecewise regression method with automatic change-point detection by quadratic programming is proposed as an alternative to Tanaka and Lee's method. Their unified quadratic programming approach can alleviate the phenomenon where some coefficients tend to become crisp in possibilistic regression by linear programming and also obtain the possibility and necessity models at one time. However, that method can not guarantee the existence of a necessity model if a proper regression model is not assumed especially with large variations in data. Using automatic change-point detection, the proposed method guarantees obtaining the necessity model with better measure of fitness by considering variability in data. Without piecewise terms in estimated model, the proposed method is the same as Tanaka and Lee's model. Therefore, the proposed method is an alternative method to handle data with the large variations, which not only reduces the number of crisp coefficients of the possibility model in linear programming, but also simultaneously obtains the fuzzy regression models, including possibility and necessity models with better fitness. Two examples are presented to demonstrate the proposed method.
INTERVAL METHODS IN KNOWLEDGE REPRESENTATION
Authors: KREINOVICH VLADIK
Published: July 2005

This section is maintained by Vladik Kreinovich. Please send your abstracts (or copies of papers that you want to see reviewed here) to vladik@cs.utep.edu, or by regular mail to: Vladik Kreinovich, Department of Computer Science, University of Texas at El Paso, El Paso, TX 79968, USA.
FINITE ELEMENT ANALYSIS OF HEAD-NECK RESPONSES DURING WHIPLASH
Authors: Teo Ee-Chon , Zhang Qing-Hang , Ng Hong-Wan
Published: July 2005

A detailed three-dimensional head-neck (C0–C7) finite element (FE) model developed previously based on the actual geometry of a cadaveric specimen was used to characterize the whiplash phenomenon of the head-neck region during rear-end collision. A maximum rear impact pulse of 8.5 G of acceleration was applied to C7. The effects of a headrest on the responses of head-neck complex were also discussed. The study demonstrates the effectiveness of the current C0–C7 FE model in characterizing the gross responses of human cervical spine under whiplash. The results showed that during whiplash, the lower cervical levels, especially the C6–C7, experience hyperextension in the early phase of acceleration. The whole cervical spine is at risk of extension injuries rather than flexion injuries in whiplash. The use of a proper headrest can effectively reduce the cervical spine from extension injury during the acceleration phase of cervical spine in whiplash.
GENE EXPRESSION ANALYSIS OF A DEDIFFERENTIATED LIPOSARCOMA — DIFFERENCES BETWEEN HIGH AND LOW GRADE AREAS: ANALYSIS OF TWO CASES AND LITERATURE REVIEW
Authors: Hameed Meera R. , Lin Tao-Zhen , Coffman Frederick , Cohen Marion C. , Fernandes Helen , Aviv Hana , Benevenia Joseph , Aisner Seena C. , Cohen Stanley
Published: July 2005

The phenomenon of dedifferentiation typically occurs in soft tissue sarcomas where a low grade or well-differentiated tumor shows an abrupt transformation to a high-grade sarcoma without lineage specificity. The biological behavior and metastatic potential of these tumors is dictated by the dedifferentiated phenotype. Tumor material was available from two dedifferentiated liposarcomas. We performed cDNA microarray analysis of a dedifferentiated liposarcoma in which the atypical lipomatous/well-differentiated and dedifferentiated portions were grossly distinct, to find differentially expressed genes in the dedifferentiated component compared to the well-differentiated component. There were 100 differentially expressed genes, both up- and down-regulated in the high grade sarcoma. In addition, we performed RT-PCR on selected genes in both cases to confirm the microarray findings. We discuss the expression patterns of these genes in comparison to other studies in the literature.