bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Flexible Provenance Tracing
Authors: Wang Liwei , Koehler Henning , Deng Ke , Zhou Xiaofang , Sadiq Shazia
Published: October 2012

The description of the origins of a piece of data and the transformations by which it arrived in a database is termed the data provenance. The importance of data provenance has already been widely recognized in database community. The two major approaches to representing provenance information use annotations and inversion. While annotation is metadata pre-computed to include the derivation history of a data product, the inversion method finds the source data based on the situation that some derivation process can be inverted. Annotations are flexible to represent diverse provenance metadata but the complete provenance data may outsize data itself. Inversion method is concise by using a single inverse query or function but the provenance needs to be computed on-the-fly. This paper proposes a new provenance representation which is a hybrid of annotation and inversion methods in order to achieve combined advantage. This representation is adaptive to the storage constraint and the response time requirement of provenance inversion on-the-fly.
A Service Bus Architecture for Application Integration in the Planning and Production Phases of a Product Lifecycle
Authors: Minguez Jorge , Silcher Stefan , Riffelmacher Philipp , Mitschang Bernhard
Published: October 2012

Constantly changing business conditions require a high level of flexibility in business processes as well as an adaptive and fully interoperable IT infrastructure in today’s manufacturing environments. The lack of flexibility prevents manufacturing companies from improving their responsiveness and adapting their workflows to turbulent scenarios. In order to achieve highly flexible and adaptive workflows, information systems in digital factories and shop floors need to be integrated. The most challenging problem in such manufacturing environments is the high heterogeneity of the IT landscape, where the integration of legacy systems and information silos has led to chaotic architectures over the last two decades. In order to overcome this issue, the authors present a flexible integration platform that allows a loose coupling of distributed services in event-driven manufacturing environments. The proposed approach enables a flexible communication between digital factory and shop floor components by introducing a service bus architecture. This solution integrates an application-independent canonical message format for manufacturing events, content-based routing and transformation services as well as event processing workflows.
A Service-Oriented User Interface for the Next Generation Web
Authors: Chen Shiping , Nepal Surya
Published: October 2012

The Web enters a new era where contents are to take the back seat and services will take the driver seat to form a service-oriented Web. This paper presents a service-oriented user interface design for the next generation Web. The design leverages the advances of semantic Web and service composition technologies to provide an intelligent and generic user interface to query, compose and execute Web services for a variety of user tasks. First, a simple cost model is developed for estimating the development and learning overheads of Web service interfaces for service-oriented applications as the motivation of this work. Then, the authors present the design of the service-oriented browser and discuss the enabling technologies. A prototype system is developed using existing technologies and standards as a proof of concept.
Enforcing ASTD Access-Control Policies with WS-BPEL Processes in SOA Environments
Authors: Jiague Michel Embe , Frappier Marc , Gervais Frédéric , Laleau Régine , St-Denis Richard
Published: October 2012

Controlling access to the Web services of public agencies and private corporations depends primarily on specifying and deploying functional security rules to satisfy strict regulations imposed by governments, particularly in the financial and health sectors. This paper focuses on one aspect of the SELKIS and EB3SEC projects related to the security of Web-based information systems, namely, the automatic transformation of security rules into WS-BPEL (or BPEL, for short) processes. The former are instantiated from security-rule patterns written in a graphical notation, called ASTD that is close to statecharts. The latter are executed by a BPEL engine integrated into a policy decision point, which is a component of a policy enforcement manager similar to that proposed in the XACML standard.
Gene Expression Regulation underlying Osteo-, Adipo-, and Chondro-Genic Lineage Commitment of Human Mesenchymal Stem Cells
Authors: Sotoca Ana M. , Weber Michael , van Zoelen Everardus J. J.
Published: October 2012

Human mesenchymal stem cells have a high potential in regenerative medicine. They can be isolated from a variety of adult tissues, including bone marrow, and can be differentiated into multiple cell types of the mesodermal lineage, including adipocytes, osteocytes, and chondrocytes. Stem cell differentiation is controlled by a process of interacting lineage-specific and multipotent genes. In this chapter, the authors use full genome microarrays to explore gene expression profiles in the process of Osteo-, Adipo-, and Chondro-Genic lineage commitment of human mesenchymal stem cells.
Regeneration of Articular Cartilage
Authors: Mobasheri Ali
Published: October 2012

This chapter reviews the structure and function of articular cartilage and the pathogenesis of Osteoarthritis (OA) before exploring the challenges associated with cartilage repair and regeneration. Surgical techniques for cartilage repair are critically reviewed and special emphasis is placed upon arthroscopic lavage and debridement, microfracture, bone marrow stimulation, and autologous osteochondral allografting. Biomimetic models of cartilage relevant to cartilage regeneration and tissue engineering research are reviewed along with microenvironmental approaches that preserve the chondrocyte phenotype using a combination of biomimetic 3-dimensional cell culture systems and growth factor supplementation. Future refinement of tissue-engineering approaches for cartilage repair will benefit significantly from advances in cell-based repair strategies. The authors provide their own perspectives by highlighting and prioritizing areas for future investigation.
Designing Biomedical Stents for Vascular Therapy
Authors: Paul Arghya
Published: October 2012

The breakthrough technologies of stent have revolutionized the medical industry, particularly in the field of percutaneous coronary interventions and other vascular therapies. However, recent concerns of late stent thrombosis and in-stent restenosis have rekindled an interest in developing new and improved therapeutic stent devices. A multidisciplinary approach of regeneration therapy, biomedicine, and nanotechnology is the next frontier for this. The chapter presented here gives a comprehensive overview of the evolving stent technologies for efficient vascular tissue therapy and articulates the potential of these technologies to design the next generation of therapeutic stent. In addition, the chapter also encompasses upcoming technologies to develop bioactive stents for efficient healing and remodeling of damaged local vascular biology.
Distributed Service Programming and Interoperability
Authors: Delgado José C.
Published: October 2012

The Web started as a means to navigate in hypermedia documents but has evolved to a pervasive Web of Services, raising distribution and interoperability problems. Web Services appeared as a solution but have grown to become a complex technology, leading many web application providers to adopt a much simpler architectural style, REST. Each style has advantages and disadvantages. As always, the trick is to learn from both sides and to use a flexible technology that can adapt and support both styles. This chapter establishes a model, based on resources, services, and processes, and discusses the various possible combinations, putting the current architectural styles into perspective. Based on this, this chapter proposes one single language to support several levels that are currently implemented in separate technologies: data (including schema, usually described in XML or JSON), interface (WSDL for Web Services and HTTP verbs for Restful applications), and behavior (usually done in BPEL or in a general programming language).
Impact Analysis of Web Services Substitution on Configurable Compositions
Authors: Hachimi Salahdine , Faci Noura , Maamar Zakaria
Published: October 2012

Web services substitution is a promising solution that enables process continuity of SOA-based applications associated with composite Web services (WSs). This chapter proposes an approach that assesses the impact of substitution on the composition and selects the best substitute, from a pool of substitutes, in order to reduce potential conflicts due to different ontologies with other peers in this composition, for example. Two types of impact along with their assessment metrics are defined: local (semantic/policy compatibility matching degree) and global (QoS satisfaction degree). This chapter addresses the selection issue as an optimization problem whose main objective is to minimize the efforts to put into resuming the ongoing composition under some temporal constraints. A set of experiments are conducted as a proof of concept and the findings show that our approach provides the necessary means for achieving Web services substitution with minimal disruption time.
Influence of Movement Expertise on Visual Perception of Objects, Events and Motor Action
Authors: Essig Kai , Strogan Oleg , Ritter Helge , Schack Thomas
Published: October 2012

Various computational models of visual attention rely on the extraction of salient points or proto-objects, i.e., discrete units of attention, computed from bottom-up image features. In recent years, different solutions integrating top-down mechanisms were implemented, as research has shown that although eye movements initially are solely influenced by bottom-up information, after some time goal driven (high-level) processes dominate the guidance of visual attention towards regions of interest (Hwang, Higgins & Pomplun, 2009). However, even these improved modeling approaches are unlikely to generalize to a broader range of application contexts, because basic principles of visual attention, such as cognitive control, learning and expertise, have thus far not sufficiently been taken into account (Tatler, Hayhoe, Land & Ballard, 2011). In some recent work, the authors showed the functional role and representational nature of long-term memory structures for human perceptual skills and motor control. Based on these findings, the chapter extends a widely applied saliency-based model of visual attention (Walther & Koch, 2006) in two ways: first, it computes the saliency map using the cognitive visual attention approach (CVA) that shows a correspondence between regions of high saliency values and regions of visual interest indicated by participants’ eye movements (Oyekoya & Stentiford, 2004). Second, it adds an expertise-based component (Schack, 2012) to represent the influence of the quality of mental representation structures in long-term memory (LTM) and the roles of learning on the visual perception of objects, events, and motor actions.
Mathematical Foundations Modeled after Neo-Cortex for Discovery and Understanding of Structures in Data
Authors: Kadambe Shubha
Published: October 2012

Even though there are distinct areas for different functionalities in the mammalian neo-cortex, it seems to use the same algorithm to understand a large variety of input modalities. In addition, it appears that the neo-cortex effortlessly identifies the correlation among many sensor modalities and fuses information obtained from them. The question then is, can we discover the brain’s learning algorithm and approximate it for problems such as computer vision and automatic speech recognition that the mammalian brain is so good at? The answer is: it is an orders of magnitude problem, i.e., not a simple task. However, we can attempt to develop mathematical foundations based on the understanding of how a human brain learns. This chapter is focused along that direction. In particular, it is focused on the ventral stream – the “what pathway” - and describes common algorithms that can be used for representation and classification of signals from different sensor modalities such as auditory and visual. These common algorithms are based on dictionary learning with a beta process, hierarchical graphical models, and embedded hidden Markov models.
Replicating the Role of the Human Retina for a Cortical Visual Neuroprosthesis
Authors: Romero Samuel , Morillas Christian , Martínez Antonio , del Pino Begoña , Pelayo Francisco , Fernández Eduardo
Published: October 2012

Neuroengineering is an emerging research field combining the latest findings from neuroscience with developments in a variety of engineering disciplines to create artificial devices, mainly for therapeutical purposes. In this chapter, an application of this field to the development of a visual neuroprosthesis for the blind is described. Electrical stimulation of the visual cortex in blind subjects elicits the perception of visual sensations called phosphenes, a finding that encourages the development of future electronic visual prostheses. However, direct stimulation of the visual cortex would miss a significant degree of image processing that is carried out by the retina. The authors describe a biologically-inspired retina-like processor designed to drive the implanted stimulator using visual inputs from one or two cameras. This includes dynamic response modeling with minimal latency. The outputs of the retina-like processor are comparable to those recorded in biological retinas that are exposed to the same stimuli and allow estimation of the original scene
The Perceived Potential of Business Social Networking Sites
Authors: Cunha Maria Manuela Cruz , Varajão João , Gonçalves Patrícia , Alvarenga Cecília , Martins Aida , Martins Maria Teresa
Published: October 2012

Business social networking is a facilitator of several business activities, such as market studies, communication with clients, and identification of business partners. This paper traduces the results of a study undertaken with the purpose of getting to know how the potential of networking is perceived in the promotion of business by participants of the LinkedIn network, and presents two main contributions: (1) to disseminate within the business community which is the relevance given to social networking; and (2) which are the social networks best suitable to the promotion of business, to support the definition of strategies and approaches accordingly. The results confirm that LinkedIn is the most suitable network to answer the needs of those that look for professional contacts and for the promotion of business, while innovation is the most recognized factor in the promotion of business through social networking. This study contributes to a better understanding of the potential of different business social networking sites, to support organizations and professionals to align their strategies with the perceived potential of each network.
A Conceptual Model of SOA-Enabled Business Process and its Empirical Study
Authors: Bayram Serdal , Vayvay Özalp , Yörük Süleyman Serdar
Published: October 2012

In today’s strong competitive environment, business processes that answer customer needs are required to be flexible and agile so as not to miss business opportunities and to adopt new market requirements and new trends easily so business activity monitoring is becoming more crucial for enterprises. Although obstacles of the mass of hybrid and complex distributed systems make it an effortful issue, SOA researchers investigate solutions to eliminate them. This study proposes a conceptual model for SOA-enabled business process frameworks to identify components of such systems. The model consists of entities and their relationships represented by UML. The proposed model was tested in an international company where its business processes are well-defined and IT is seen as an important necessity for their implementation.
Web Personalization Based on Fuzzy Aggregation and Recognition of User Activity
Authors: Alfimtsev Alexander , Sakulin Sergey , Devyatkov Vladimir
Published: October 2012

This article addresses Web personalization based on the analysis of individual user activity. However, human behavior is characterized by uncertainties that should be considered in the personalization algorithms. Fuzzy logic allows taking into account different types of uncertainty. Therefore, the paper presents a method for Web personalization based on fuzzy aggregation and recognition of user activity. The advantages of this approach are (1) the ability to use two types of fuzzy integrals without using the necessary expert set of fuzzy measures and (2) covering all stages of the personalization from aggregation of a single user’s query parameters to aggregation of an individual user’s profiles in a single parameter of group of users.
An Analysis on SAWSDL and its Implementation Tools
Authors: Al-Baltah Ibrahim Ahmed , Ghani Abdul Azim Abd , Rahman Wan Nurhayati Wan Ab. , Atan Rodziah
Published: October 2012

Recently, Semantic Annotations for WSDL (SAWSDL) standard emerged as a W3C recommendation to add semantics to WSDL components. SAWSDL annotates WSDL components with different semantics in order to automate Web service tasks, such as service discovery, composition, mediation, and invocation. In fact, certain service task requires a specific service semantic that semantically describes the service. As a result, several tools and techniques have emerged to allow users to get maximum advantage of semantic Web service by implementing SAWSDL. This paper analyzes SAWSDL standard. The relationships between SAWSDL and WSDL components were revealed. The direct relationships between SAWSDL components and service tasks through service semantics were investigated and reported. This paper also reviews some well-known tools that are used for SAWSDL implementation.
Managing Risk of Complications at Femoral Vascular Access Sites in Percutaneous Coronary Intervention
Authors: Merriweather Nakia , Sulzbach-Hoke Linda M.
Published: October 2012

Percutaneous coronary intervention for acute coronary syndrome or non–ST-elevation myocardial infarction requires the use of potent oral and intravenous anti-platelet and antithrombin medications. Although these potent antithrombotic agents and regimens may increase the effectiveness of percutaneous coronary intervention, they are also generally associated with an increased risk of vascular access complications such as hematoma, retroperitoneal hematoma, pseudoaneurysm, arterial occlusion, and arteriovenous fistula, which in turn are associated with increased morbidity, mortality, and costs. Risk factors predisposing patients to these complications are both modifiable (procedure technique, medications, hemostasis method) and nonmodifiable (sex, age, body mass index, blood pressure, renal function). Patients’ risks can be reduced by nurses who are knowledgeable about these risk factors and identify complications before they become problematic.
Blockade of Phosphatidylinositol 3-Kinase (PI3K)δ or PI3Kγ Reduces IL-17 and Ameliorates Imiquimod-Induced Psoriasis-like Dermatitis
Authors: Roller Anne , Perino Alessia , Dapavo Paolo , Soro Elisabetta , Okkenhaug Klaus , Hirsch Emilio , Ji Hong
Published: October 2012

Psoriasis is a chronic inflammatory skin disease triggered by interplay between immune mediators from both innate and adaptive immune systems and skin tissue, in which the IL-23/IL-17 axis is critical. PI3Kδ and PI3Kγ play important roles in various immune cell functions. We found that mice lacking functional PI3Kδ or PI3Kγ are largely protected from imiquimod (IMQ)-induced psoriasis-like dermatitis, correlating with reduced IL-17 levels in the lesions, serum, and the draining lymph nodes. TCRγδ T cells were the major IL-17–producing population in the draining lymph nodes and were significantly diminished in IMQ-treated PI3Kδ knockin and PI3Kγ knockout mice. We also show that PI3Kδ and PI3Kγ inhibitors reduced IFN-γ production by human TCRγδ T cells and IL-17 and IFN-γ production by PBMCs from psoriatic or healthy donors. In addition, inhibition of PI3Kγ, but not PI3Kδ, blocked chemotaxis of CCR6+IL-17–producing cells from IMQ-treated mice or healthy human donors. Taken together, these data indicate that PI3Kδ and/or PI3Kγ inhibitors should be considered for treating IL-17–driven diseases, such as psoriasis.
The Unique Cytoplasmic Domain of Human FcγRIIIA Regulates Receptor-Mediated Function
Authors: Li Xiaoli , Baskin Julie G. , Mangan Erin K. , Su Kaihong , Gibson Andrew W. , Ji Chuanyi , Edberg Jeffrey C. , Kimberly Robert P.
Published: October 2012

Ligand specificity characterizes receptors for Abs and many other immune receptors, but the common use of the FcR γ-chain as their signaling subunit challenges the concept that these receptors are functionally distinct. We hypothesized that elements for specificity might be determined by the unique cytoplasmic domain (CY) sequences of the ligand-binding α-chains of γ-chain–associated receptors. Among Fcγ receptors, a protein kinase C (PKC) phosphorylation consensus motif [RSSTR], identified within the FcγRIIIa (CD16A) CY by in silico analysis, is specifically phosphorylated by PKCs, unlike other FcRs. Phosphorylated CD16A mediates a more robust calcium flux, tyrosine phosphorylation of Syk, and proinflammatory cytokine production, whereas nonphosphorylatable CD16A is more effective at activation of the Gab2/PI3K pathway, leading to enhanced degranulation. S100A4, a specific protein-binding partner for CD16A-CY newly identified by yeast two-hybrid analysis, inhibits phosphorylation of CD16A-CY by PKC in vitro, and reduction of S100A4 levels in vivo enhances receptor phosphorylation upon cross-linking. Taken together, PKC-mediated phosphorylation of CD16A modulates distinct signaling pathways engaged by the receptor. Calcium-activated binding of S100A4 to CD16A, promoted by the initial calcium flux, attenuates the phosphorylation of CY, and, acting as a molecular switch, may both serve as a negative feedback on cytokine production pathways during sustained receptor engagement and favor a shift to degranulation, consistent with the importance of granule release following conjugate formation between CD16A+ effector cells and target cells. This switch mechanism points to new therapeutic targets and provides a framework for understanding novel receptor polymorphisms.
Prolonged Production of Reactive Oxygen Species in Response to B Cell Receptor Stimulation Promotes B Cell Activation and Proliferation
Authors: Wheeler Matthew L. , DeFranco Anthony L.
Published: October 2012

We have investigated the intracellular sources and physiological function of reactive oxygen species (ROS) produced in primary B cells in response to BCR stimulation. BCR stimulation of primary resting murine B cells induced the rapid production of ROS that occurred within minutes and was maintained for at least 24 h after receptor stimulation. While the early production of ROS (0–2 h) was dependent on the Nox2 isoform of NADPH oxidase, at later stages of B cell activation (6–24 h) ROS were generated by a second pathway, which appeared to be dependent on mitochondrial respiration. B cells from mice deficient in the Nox2 NADPH oxidase complex lacked detectable early production of extracellular and intracellular ROS after BCR stimulation but had normal proximal BCR signaling and BCR-induced activation and proliferation in vitro and mounted normal or somewhat elevated Ab responses in vivo. In contrast, neutralizing both pathways of BCR-derived ROS with the scavenger N-acetylcysteine resulted in impaired in vitro BCR-induced activation and proliferation and attenuated BCR signaling through the PI3K pathway at later times. These results indicate that the production of ROS downstream of the BCR is derived from at least two distinct cellular sources and plays a critical role at the later stages of B cell activation by promoting sustained BCR signaling via the PI3K pathway, which is needed for effective B cell responses to Ag.
A Next-Generation Sequencing Approach to Study the Transcriptomic Changes during the Differentiation of Physarum at the Single-Cell Level
Authors: Barrantes Israel , Leipzig Jeremy , Marwan Wolfgang
Published: October 2012

Physarum polycephalum is a unicellular eukaryote belonging to the amoebozoa group of organisms. The complex life cycle involves various cell types that differ in morphology, function, and biochemical composition. Sporulation, one step in the life cycle, is a stimulus-controlled differentiation response of macroscopic plasmodial cells that develop into fruiting bodies. Well-established Mendelian genetics and the occurrence of macroscopic cells with a naturally synchronous population of nuclei as source of homogeneous cell material for biochemical analyses make Physarum an attractive model organism for studying the regulatory control of cell differentiation. Here, we develop an approach using RNA-sequencing (RNA-seq), without needing to rely on a genome sequence as a reference, for studying the transcriptomic changes during stimulus-triggered commitment to sporulation in individual plasmodial cells. The approach is validated through the obtained expression patterns and annotations, and particularly the results from up- and downregulated genes, which correlate well with previous studies.
Climate change and REDD+: property as a prism for conceiving Indigenous peoples’ engagement*
Authors: Birrell Kathleen , Godden Lee , Tehan Maureen
Published: October 2012

The rapid emergence of carbon markets internationally, and rising concerns about the impact of such schemes on Indigenous and local community interests, rights and traditional knowledge, present a strong need to examine legal regulation, protection and promotion of equitable outcomes for the effective engagement of Indigenous peoples and local forest subsistence communities in climate change mitigation. This is particularly so in the context of Reducing Emissions from Deforestation and Degradation (REDD and REDD+ as it later became known) – a scheme that will significantly affect the ‘property’ rights and interests of such communities. The pace and enthusiasm for investment in, and implementation of, this scheme necessitate scrutiny of the foreseeable consequences at a local level, including the potential of this global project to act as a form of neo-colonialism, co-opting Indigenous and local community interests where the value of the carbon ‘offset’ may not accrue to local inhabitants of the forested areas. Accordingly, this paper seeks to present a series of fundamental questions raised by the programme, particularly in respect of differing conceptions of property, as it uniquely relates to and impacts upon Indigenous peoples.
Emotions, Traits and Negative Beliefs as Possible Mediators in the Relationship between Childhood Experiences of being Bullied and Paranoid Thinking in a Non-Clinical Sample
Authors: Ashford Christian Daniel , Ashcroft Katie , Maguire Nick
Published: October 2012

This paper describes a study investigating whether negative beliefs, traits or emotions mediate the relationship between an adverse early life experience, being a victim of bullying, and psychotic like phenomena, paranoid thinking, in a non-clinical population. A cross-sectional research design was utilised with 135 undergraduate students completing self-report questionnaires. The results revealed that negative beliefs about self and depression significantly mediated the relationship between indirect aggression and paranoid thinking, whereas negative beliefs about others mediated the relationship between direct verbal aggression and paranoid thinking. These findings suggest that negative beliefs and depression are the mediators of the relationship between bullying and paranoid thinking thus further contributing to the understanding of the association between adverse early life experiences and paranoid thinking.
Assessing Levels of Subthreshold Psychotic Symptoms in the Recovery Phase: The Schizotypal Symptoms Inventory (SSI)
Authors: Hodgekins Jo , Coker Sian , Freeman Daniel , Ray-Glover Katarzyna , Bebbington Paul , Garety Philippa , Kuipers Elizabeth , Dunn Graham , Fowler David
Published: October 2012

Objective

Subthreshold psychotic symptoms occurring during the recovery stages of psychosis may impede social functioning and precipitate relapse. Traditional assessment tools lack adequate sensitivity to assess such phenomena. The study aim was to develop a comprehensive self-report measure of residual psychotic symptoms.

Method

The psychometric properties of the Schizotypal Symptoms Inventory (SSI) were analysed in a sample of 808 students and a sample of 126 clinical cases recovering from psychosis. Levels of schizotypal symptoms were compared between the two groups.

Results

The SSI was shown to have good psychometric properties. The clinical sample had higher scores on all dimensions of the SSI than the non-clinical sample. Social anxiety symptoms were particularly prevalent in the recovery phase.

Conclusions

Individuals recovering from acute psychosis experience high levels of subthreshold psychotic symptoms which may impede long-term recovery. The SSI has robust psychometric properties and could be used to assess these phenomena.
Symptom Validity Test Research: Status and Clinical Implications
Authors: Sweet Jerry J. , Breting Leslie M. Guidotti
Published: October 2012

This paper explores the extent of the knowledge base pertaining to symptom validity tests (SVTs), including empirical research studies, meta-analyses, position papers, and a consensus conference statement. We investigate publication outlets for research on symptom validity testing that have been published and identify the discipline of the authors. It is evident that the field of clinical psychology, and specifically neuropsychology, has amassed a very extensive research literature that has established the utility of SVTs in identifying insufficient effort on cognitive tests, response bias on symptom reporting inventories, and can be used to support or rule out malingering of psychological and neuropsychological conditions. This is particularly important for assessments that occur in a forensic context, but can also be important in routine clinical contexts and in relation to psychopathology. With the exception of not having full-fledged practice guidelines exclusively regarding SVTs, neuropsychologists and psychologists have all the guidance needed at present to be knowledgeable on the effective use and interpretation of SVTs.
Forced-Choice Tests as Single-Case Experiments in the Differential Diagnosis of Intentional Symptom Distortion
Authors: Merten Thomas , Merckelbach Harald
Published: October 2012

Symptom validity testing has become a prolific research field in neuropsychology. Its original and most powerful version is the forced-choice procedure that continues to play an important role because it allows for an experimental approach to test the hypothesis of intentional symptom distortion. When conducting forced-choice tests, below-chance response patterns are considered to be indicative of this type of distortion. In this article, we discuss the rationale behind the forced-choice technique and its historical development. We also present three case vignettes that illustrate the experimental background of forced-choice testing and how it may help to clarify diagnostic issues. The diagnostic considerations in these cases concerned (1) complete memory loss, (2) Ganser syndrome, and (3) dementia. Employing forced-choice methodology, intentional false symptom production could be demonstrated in all three patients. Thus, the cases demonstrate how, in the context of substantial external benefits, forced-choice testing may help to determine whether healthy individuals try to appear psychologically impaired.
Assessing the Boundaries of Symptom Over-Reporting Using the Structured Inventory of Malingered Symptomatology in a Clinical Schizophrenia Sample: Its Relation to Symptomatology and Neurocognitive Dysfunctions
Authors: Peters Maarten J.V. , Jelicic Marko , Moritz Steffen , Hauschildt Marit , Jelinek Lena
Published: October 2012

The rationale behind symptom over-reporting tests is that patients with no intention to feign symptoms will perform below a specific cut-off point because of the bizarreness of the symptoms presented. Given this rationale, very few studies have attempted to determine the specificity of these measures, i.e., whether clinical psychiatric patients would not endorse these exaggerated symptoms. In the present studies, endorsement of bizarre and atypical symptoms in such patients was explored. In two studies, the Structured Inventory of Malingered Symptomatology (SIMS) was administered to a sample of schizophrenia patients (study 1 n = 18; study 2: n = 23) and healthy controls (study 1 n = 19; study 2 n = 24) together with a neurocognitive test (Wisconsin Card Sorting Test; study 1) and schizophrenia symptomatology indices (study 2; PANSS and PSYRATS). Results from both studies indicate that serious psychopathology may significantly interfere with symptom validity performance measures: According to the SIMS cut-off criteria, symptom over-reporting would be present in almost 30 percent of the schizophrenia patients (28% in study 1 and 30% in study 2) but not in the healthy sample. Furthermore, SIMS scores in the schizophrenia sample explained a significant amount of variance in neurocognitive performance (study 1) and was positively correlated with PANSS positive symptomatology (study 2; r = .58, p < .01), PANSS distress (study 2; r = .50, p < .05), and PSYRATS hallucination and total scores (r = .60, p < .01 and r = .75 p < .001). Consequently, it is discussed that cut-off points may need adjustment in psychotic patients with positive symptomatology when litigation is clearly not an issue.
Cognitive Theory and Therapy for Command Hallucinations
Authors: Griffiths Sian Lowri , Michail Maria , Birchwood Max
Published: October 2012

Individuals who experience voices respond in a variety of ways, both emotionally and behaviourally; some individuals are greatly distressed and frightened by their experience, whereas others develop a meaningful relationship with their voices and value contact with them.

The traditional approach to cognitive behavioural therapy (CBT) in the treatment of psychosis focuses on the eradication or amelioration of the symptoms. However, the cognitive model of voices emphasises the importance of cognitive appraisals and the idiosyncratic relationship that a voice hearer develops with their voices in influencing affect and behaviour.

This review describes the development and refinements of the cognitive model of voices, with particular emphasis on command hallucinations; the model distinctively focuses on distress and dysfunctional behaviour rather than symptoms per se. The need to identify and modify the appraisals that lead to these consequences is highlighted.
Illusory Correlations in Paranoid Schizophrenia: Another cognitive bias relevant to delusions?
Authors: Beer Katja , Moritz Steffen , Lincoln Tania M.
Published: October 2012

Enhanced Illusionary Correlations (IC) may predispose towards delusion formation. The present study examined the frequency and symptomatic correlates of IC in a sample of 25 schizophrenia patients and 40 healthy controls, using emotional cues from different categories (fear, delusion-relevant, neutral), which were presented to the participants followed by happy, neutral or negative affect faces. IC were assessed after the presentation of the emotional cues by asking the participants to judge the frequency with which each cue had previously been shown with each facial expression. As expected, schizophrenia patients exhibited more IC than controls. However, contrary to expectation, this bias was not enhanced for delusion-relevant compared to neutral cues. Furthermore, the expected positive correlation of IC and positive symptoms could not be found. These results suggest the presence of a novel cognitive bias in schizophrenia, occurring irrespective of the stimulus category, which is not directly linked to positive symptoms.
Some effects of ice crystals on the FSSP measurements in mixed phase clouds
Authors: Febvre G. , Gayet J.-F. , Shcherbakov V. , Gourbeyre C. , Jourdan O.
Published: October 2012

Abstract. In this paper, we show that in mixed phase clouds, the presence of ice crystals may induce wrong FSSP 100 measurements interpretation especially in terms of particle size and subsequent bulk parameters. The presence of ice crystals is generally revealed by a bimodal feature of the particle size distribution (PSD). The combined measurements of the FSSP-100 and the Polar Nephelometer give a coherent description of the effect of the ice crystals on the FSSP-100 response. The FSSP-100 particle size distributions are characterized by a bimodal shape with a second mode peaked between 25 and 35 μm related to ice crystals. This feature is observed with the FSSP-100 at airspeed up to 200 m s−1 and with the FSSP-300 series. In order to assess the size calibration for clouds of ice crystals the response of the FSSP-100 probe has been numerically simulated using a light scattering model of randomly oriented hexagonal ice particles and assuming both smooth and rough crystal surfaces. The results suggest that the second mode, measured between 25 μm and 35 μm, does not necessarily represent true size responses but corresponds to bigger aspherical ice particles. According to simulation results, the sizing understatement would be neglected in the rough case but would be significant with the smooth case. Qualitatively, the Polar Nephelometer phase function suggests that the rough case is the more suitable to describe real crystals. Quantitatively, however, it is difficult to conclude. A review is made to explore different hypotheses explaining the occurrence of the second mode. However, previous cloud in situ measurements suggest that the FSSP-100 secondary mode, peaked in the range 25–35 μm, is likely to be due to the shattering of large ice crystals on the probe inlet. This finding is supported by the rather good relationship between the concentration of particles larger than 20 μm (hypothesized to be ice shattered-fragments measured by the FSSP) and the concentration of (natural) ice particles (CPI data). In mixed cloud, a simple estimation of the number of ice crystals impacting the FSSP inlet shows that the ice crystal shattering effect is the main factor in observed ice production.
Note on the application of planar-fit rotation for non-omnidirectional sonic anemometers
Authors: Li M. , Babel W. , Tanaka K. , Foken T.
Published: October 2012

Abstract. For non-omnidirectional sonic anenometers like the Kaijo-Denki DAT 600 TR61A probe, it is shown that separate planar fit rotations must be used for the undisturbed (open part of the sonic anemometer) and the disturbed sector. This increases the friction velocity while no effect on the scalar fluxes was found. In the disturbed sector, irregular values of −u′w′ < 0 were detected for low wind velocities. This study was done for data sets from the Naqu-BJ site on the Tibetan Plateau.
Review article "On the origins of decadal climate variability: a network perspective"
Authors: Tsonis A. A. , Swanson K. L.
Published: October 2012

Abstract. This review is a synthesis of work spanning the last 25 yr. It is largely based on the use of climate networks to identify climate subsystems/major modes and to subsequently study how their collective behavior explains decadal variability. The central point is that a network of coupled nonlinear subsystems may at times begin to synchronize. If during synchronization the coupling between the subsystems increases, the synchronous state may, at some coupling strength threshold, be destroyed shifting climate to a new regime. This climate shift manifests itself as a change in global temperature trend. This mechanism, which is consistent with the theory of synchronized chaos, appears to be a very robust mechanism of the climate system. It is found in the instrumental records, in forced and unforced climate simulations, as well as in proxy records spanning several centuries.
ICAN- International Common Assessment Number: The need of the hour
Authors: Sekhar G.V. Satya
Published: October 2012

When   there is a system of international financial reporting system (IFRS) is much in discussion, why the policy makers are not thinking for ICAN( International Common Assessment Number) in place of PAN (Permanent Assessment Number)as in the  in case of assessees in India.    In this situation, any individual’s income earned any where in the world can become  under a common tax planning tool.The government of India has agreements with most other nations that determine how multinational companies are taxed. In other words, the tax treaties attempt to avoid the double-taxation that would occur if two nations taxed the same income. Since transfer prices represent revenue to the upstream division and an expense to the downstream division, the transfer price affects the calculation of divisional profits that represent taxable income in the nations where the divisions are based. Further, double taxation avoidance agreements also helpful for monitoring and control of fraudulent affairs in the corporate world. In this context, this paper is intended to examine the significance of uniform assessment system in the entire world and need for common assessment number.
Neurofeedback Treatment in a Client with ADHD and ODD
Authors: Winkelmolen Dianne , Kruiver Vera , Arns Martijn
Published: October 2012

A case study on neurofeedback and cognitive behavior therapy (CBT) of an 11-year-old girl diagnosed with Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) and oppositional defiant disorder (ODD) is presented. The quantitative electroencephalograms (QEEG) demonstrated a low-voltage electroencephalograms (EEG) with excess relative theta. After 31 sessions of theta/beta neurofeedback treatment, the client no longer met criteria for both ADHD and ODD. Her inattentive problems and hyperactive and impulsive behavior declined to normal levels, further evidenced by neuropsychological and event related potentials (ERP) improvements. Also oppositional and aggressive behavior improved dramatically. This case study demonstrates the possibility to treat clients with ADHD and comorbid disorders with combined neurofeedback and CBT. However, further controlled studies are required to replicate and extend these findings and investigate which effects are related to neurofeedback and which to CBT.
Mentoring: What Is It All About Anyway?
Authors: Shaffer Fred , Crawford Judy , Moss Donald
Published: October 2012

One of the requirements for certification by the Biofeedback Certification International Alliance (BCIA) is a specific number of mentoring hours with a BCIA-approved mentor. This article defines mentoring, distinguishes it from clinical supervision, and provides guidance on the search for an optimal mentor. The authors recommend the use of a mentoring contract, discuss goodness of fit between mentor and mentee, and identify BCIA requirements for mentoring.
Characterization of LlaKI, a New Metal Ion-Independent Restriction Endonuclease from Lactococcus lactis KLDS4
Authors: Belkebir Abdelkarim , Azeddoug Houssine
Published: October 2012

Requirement of divalent cations for DNA cleavage is a general feature of type II restriction enzymes with the exception of few members of this group. A new type II restriction endonuclease has been partially purified from Lactococcus lactis KLDS4. The enzyme was denoted as LlaKI and showed to recognize and cleave the same site as FokI. The enzyme displayed a denatured molecular weight of 50 kDa and behaved as a dimer in solution as evidenced by the size exclusion chromatography. To investigate the role of divalent cations in DNA cleavage by LlaKI, digestion reactions were carried out at different Mg2+, Mn2+, and Ca2+ concentrations. Unlike most of type II restriction endonucleases, LlaKI did not require divalent metal ions to cleave DNA and is one of the few metal-independent restriction endonucleases found in bacteria. The enzyme showed near-maximal levels of activity in 10 mM Tris-HCl pH 7.9, 50 mM NaCl, 10 mM MgCl2, and 1 mM dithiothreitol at 30°C. The presence of DNA modification was also determined and was correlated with the correspondent restriction enzyme.
Variation in Woody Species Abundance and Distribution in and around Kibale National Park, Uganda
Authors: Okiror Paul , Chono Jane , Nyamukuru Antonia , Lwanga Jeremiah S. , Sasira Phionah , Diogo Paul
Published: October 2012

Several protected areas in Uganda are increasingly facing encroachment making farmlands indispensable hubs for biodiversity conservation. A comparative study was conducted comprising a protected area in Kibale National Park and surrounding farmlands to establish how farmlands mimic the forest floristic structure. Study results show very low similarity between the forest and farmland ecosystems (CCj=0.11). A total of 50 and 29 species were identified in the forest and, farmland, respectively; 8 were shared. Importance value indices of woody species in the forest ranged from 0.3 to 29.9 with Celtis durandii being the most important while those in the farmland were 1.9–79.2, Eucalyptus grandis, having the highest index. Woody species diversity and evenness were higher in the forest ecosystem (H′=3.46, J′=0.85) compared to the farmland (H′=2.72, J′=0.79). The 10–<20 cm diameter class was the lowest in both ecosystems. Communities adjacent to the park should be educated about the value of the park and conservation in general. Since adjacent farmlands provide important ecotones to the park, on-farm indigenous tree retention and planting are required. Further research on threatened species is needed to enhance conservation in and around KNP.
The Global Transcriptional Response of Isolated Human Islets of Langerhans to Glucagon-Like Peptide-1 Receptor Agonist Liraglutide
Authors: Zhao Xiaoning , Tang Yongming G. , Wu S. Vincent , Wang Charles , Perfetti Ricardo , Khoury Nasif , Cai Dehong , He Fang , Su Xiaogang , Go Vay Liang W. , Hui Hongxiang
Published: October 2012

GLP-1 and its analog have been used in diabetes treatment; however, the direct alteration of gene expression profile in human islets induced by GLP-1 has not been reported. In present study, transcriptional gene expression in the liraglutide-treated human islets was analyzed with 12 human U133A chips including 23000 probe sets. The data compared between liraglutide and control groups showed a significant difference on glucose-induced insulin secretion, rather than viability. Microarray analysis identified 7000 genes expressed in human islets. Eighty genes were found to be modulated by liraglutide treatment. Furthermore, the products of these genes are proteins involved in binding capability, enzyme activity, transporter function, signal transduction, cell proliferation, apoptosis, and cell differentiation. Our data provides a set of information in the complex events, following the activation of the GLP-1 receptor in the islets of Langerhans.