bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
A Comparation Of Chinese And Indonesian Time Adverbs
Authors: Ying Yi
Published: April 2016

Chinese time adverbs describe status of behavior, modal frequency, or that the behavior has occurred, occurred in the past, present or future. When describe a time, it usually emphasizes the meaning. Indonesian time adverbs describe an event or action occurred at a time. It indicates the status of behavior, modal or indicates whether the conduct has occurred, has not happened, will happen, repeat and describe the act or thing is not yet completed. This study attempts to shed light on why students incline to make mistake in using Chinese time adverbs. Furthermore, students face difficulty in differentiating between Chinese and Indonesian time adverbs. Chinese Indonesia have the similar meaning of time adverb, such as: gang, yijing, cengjing, zhengzai, jiang, hai, mashang but function in a sentence not exactly same.
Struktur Keluarga Jepang Kontemporer dalam Tiga Novel Karya Ogawa Yoko
Authors: Devi Rima
Published: April 2016

Ogawa Yoko as a Japanese novelist mostly features the life of contemporary Japanese society in her novels. One that stands out from her works is the image of the Japanese family structure. Ogawa outlines the Japanese family structure in contrast to the Japanese family structure in actual society, as in the novel Kifunjin A No Sosei, Hakase No Aishita Suushiki, and Miina No Koushin. These three novels depict Japanese family structure more complex than her other novels. How Ogawa described Japanese family structure in the three novels is the issue on this article. This article is a literature study; data were collected from the three novels and analyzed using sociological literature approach and the concept of Japanese traditional family known as ie system. This paper shows that there was an implementation of the ie system in the three novels yet it was only a part of the ie concept.
Kesalahan Penggunaan Kata Bantu Bilangan Bahasa Mandarin pada Siswa Indonesia Tingkat Prapemula
Authors: Trihardini Ayu
Published: April 2016

The purpose of this study was to analyze Indonesian breakthrough level students’ errors in using Mandarin measure words. The collected data were the errors made by students of Prodi Pendidikan Bahasa Mandarin UNJ who attend Conversation II course (CEFR A1/breakthrough) on written and oral utterance. This study used Zhou Xiaobin’s research design in Mandarin measure words error analysis, with the Carl James model of identification errors. The result of this study shows Indonesian students’ errors in using Mandarin measure words can be determined as follows: omission, misselection, misordering, and blends. Furthermore, this study proves that there are systematic errors made by students with different mother tongue and at the same level of learning Mandarin. The research results can be used to develop Mandarin measure words teaching techniques based on error analysis.
Code-Mixing and Code-Switching of Indonesian Celebrities: A Comparative Study
Authors: Yuliana Nana , Luziana Amelia Rosa , Sarwendah Pininto
Published: April 2016

Foreign language skill presents a language variety called code-mixing and code-switching. The purpose of this study was to get some information to identify the types of code mixing and code switching frequently used by Indonesian celebrities. The study was divided into two groups. Group I was inclusive of the celebrities with native speakers parents and Group II comprised celebrities capable of speaking two or more languages. The qualitative and quantitative methods were used to analyze the code mixing and code switching with different frequency. It can be concluded that Group II use code-mixing and code-switching with a different frequency and speak foreign language more active.
Deconstructing The Stereotypes Of Women Through A Female Voice In Burial Rites (2013) By Hannah Kent
Authors: Ayuningtyas Paramita
Published: April 2016

Patriarchal society regulates how women should behave and act. If a woman obeys the social rules, she will be labeled as a good woman. On the other hand, if a woman does not follow the social values, she will be immediately categorized as an evil woman and given negative stereotypes. This binary opposition between a good woman and a bad woman is often criticized by the feminists because they think this categorization burdens women. This issue is also highlighted by Hannah Kent in her novel Burial Rites (2013). This novel is set in a rural society in Iceland in the 19th century with its patriarchal values, focusing on a woman named Agnes that will soon be executed. This theme interested the researcher to study Burial Rites more deeply using feminist perspective. Characters, setting and point of view are the intrinsic elements discussed in this research. The result of the analysis shows that through these three elements, Burial Rites describes society’s stereotypes about ‘evil women’ and there is an effort from the author to deconstruct the stereotype through a female voice.
Do transmitters affect survival and body condition of American beavers Castor canadensis?
Authors: Smith Joshua B. , Windels Steve K. , Wolf Tiffany , Klaver Robert W. , Belant Jerrold L.
Published: April 2016

One key assumption often inferred with using radio‐equipped individuals is that the transmitter has no effect on the metric of interest. To evaluate this assumption, we used a known fate model to assess the effect of transmitter type (i.e. tail‐mounted or peritoneal implant) on short‐term (one year) survival and a joint live—dead recovery model and results from a mark—recapture study to compare long‐term (eight years) survival and body condition of ear‐tagged only American beavers Castor canadensis to those equipped with radio transmitters in Voyageurs National Park, Minnesota, USA. Short‐term (1‐year) survival was not influenced by transmitter type (wi = 0.64). Over the 8‐year study period, annual survival was similar between transmitter‐equipped beavers (tail‐mounted and implant transmitters combined; 0.76; 95% CI = 0.45–0.91) versus ear‐tagged only (0.78; 95% CI = 0.45–0.93). Additionally, we found no difference in weight gain (t9 = 0.25, p = 0.80) or tail area (t11 = 1.25, p = 0.24) from spring to summer between the two groups. In contrast, winter weight loss (t22 = ‐ 2.03, p = 0.05) and tail area decrease (t30 = ‐ 3.04, p = 0.01) was greater for transmitterequipped (weight = ‐ 3.09 kg, SE = 0.55; tail area = ‐ 33.71 cm2, SE = 4.80) than ear‐tagged only (weight = ‐ 1.80 kg, SE = 0.33; tail area = ‐ 12.38 cm2, SE = 5.13) beavers. Our results generally support the continued use of transmitters on beavers for estimating demographic parameters, although we recommend additional assessments of transmitter effects under different environmental conditions.
Seasonal and annual variation in the diet of brown bears Ursus arctos in the boreal forest of southcentral Sweden
Authors: Stenset Nina Emilie , Lutnæs Paul Nilsen , Bjarnadóttir ValgerÐur , Dahle Bj⊘rn , Fossum Kristin H⊘ivik , Jigsved Patrik , Johansen Thomas , Neumann Wiebke , Opseth Ole , R⊘nning Oddmund , Steyaert Sam M. J. G. , Zedrosser Andreas , Brunberg Sven , Swenson Jon E.
Published: April 2016

Understanding a species' feeding ecology is essential for successful management and conservation, because food abundance can influence body mass, survival, reproductive success, movements, and habitat use. We describe annual and seasonal variations in the diet of brown bears Ursus arctos in southcentral Sweden, based on analysis of 527 fecal samples from 1994–1996 and 2000–2001. There was distinct seasonal variation in most of the 26 food items we documented. Ungulates, predominantly moose Alces alces, and insects comprised most of the estimated dietary energy content in spring and summer. Insects were represented almost entirely by ants, of which Formica spp. and Camponotus herculeanus were the most common. During autumn, berries dominated the diet. The most important berry species were bilberry Vaccinium myrtillus, crowberry Empetrum hermaphoditum and lingonberry V. vitis‐idaea. We determined berry availability by inventorying 308 random plots three times for two consecutive years. These three berries occurred with great spatial, seasonal and annual variation in abundance. The bears showed the strongest positive preference for bilberries, a lesser positive preference for crowberries, but no preference for lingonberries. The proportion of berries in the autmn diet was stable between years, but the relative importance of the species changed, indicating that bears switched to crowberries when bilberries were less abundant. The effects of predicted future climatic change might have severe effects on the availability of the berries, which is the only important food available for fat acquisition prior to hibernation.
Performance Appraisal for Employee Development: Exploring Perceptions of Supervisors
Authors: Bhurtel Anup , Adhikari Eka Raj
Published: April 2016

The purpose of the present study was to explore the perceptions of supervisors on performance appraisal in relation to employee development adopting a qualitative design. In line with its research objective, data obtained from semi-structured interviews conducted with 14 supervisors from the proposed 10 model technical schools and the head office of the Council for Technical Education and Vocational Training (CTEVT), Nepal was analysed. The study brought forth that supervisors perceived the existing performance appraisal system less effective as it was used merely for getting employee-promotion. The supervisors were unable to appraise non-permanent employees; and even for permanent classed employees, they were obliged to keep the results confidential. They were thus unable to discuss the results with the concerned employees and jointly set goals for their further development. The study calls for establishing a comprehensive performance appraisal system for all employees in which results were analysed, and linked with plans for employee development. As the paper was confined to exploring the perception of 14 supervisors, further research could be done in future with greater number of samples. Moreover, there is room for studying the appraisees’ perception so that this issue can be explored from wider perspective aiding in the employee performance.Int. J. Soc. Sci. Manage. Vol-3, issue-2: 93-101
Women Employee Rights in Garment Industry, Tirupur
Authors: Thangaraj Nathiya , Subramaniyam Parthiban , Rangasamy Shanthi
Published: April 2016

Women are playing a vital role in earning even net national product of the country through their income. This study is undertaken to study about how the women are utilizing their rights properly especially in garment industry. The reason to choose the industry is that the women participation in the industry is 70,000 especially in Tirupur. This research is undertaken to analyze about the women’s rights in garment industry in the area of Tirupur. This study is undertaken to make an analysis of how women are working in their working area and also regarding the facilities provided in the working environment such as crèche facilities, ventilation facilities and payment benefits, work enrichment opportunities. The prime objective of the present study is to evaluate the Women Employee Rights in garment industry in Tirupur. The study was conducted on the basis of descriptive research. The employees have been selected by using non-probability convenience sample method from various departments. Totally 200 sample respondents were selected and analysed using t-Test, Chi-Square test and Garrett’s ranking method.Int. J. Soc. Sci. Manage. Vol-3, issue-2: 119-124
Pediatric epilepsy surgery: could age be a predictor of outcomes?
Authors: Jenny Benoit , Smoll Nicolas , El Hassani Yassine , Momjian Shahan , Pollo Claudio , Korff Christian M. , Seeck Margitta , Schaller Karl
Published: April 2016

OBJECTIVE

Like adults, many children suffering from intractable seizures benefit from surgical therapy. Although various reports indicate that early intervention may avoid severe developmental consequences often associated with intractable epilepsy, surgery is still considered a last option for many children. In this retrospective study, the authors aimed to determine whether pediatric epilepsy surgery, in particular during the first years of life, relates to measurable benefits.

METHODS

Data from 78 patients (age range 5 months to 17 years) who underwent epilepsy surgery at the Geneva and Lausanne University Hospitals between 1997 and 2012 were reviewed retrospectively. Patients were dichotomized into 2 groups: infants (≤ 3 years of age, n = 19), and children/adolescents (4–17 years of age, n = 59). Compared with children/adolescents, infants more often had a diagnosis of dysplasia (37% vs 10%, respectively; p < 0.05, chi-square test).

RESULTS

The overall seizure-free rate was 76.9%, with 89.5% in infants and 72.9% in the children/adolescents group. Infants were 2.76 times as likely to achieve seizure-free status as children/adolescents. Postoperative antiepileptic medication was reduced in 67.9% of patients. Only 11.4% of the patients were taking more than 2 antiepileptic drugs after surgery, compared with 43% before surgery (p < 0.0001). The overall complication rate was 15.1% (6.4% transient hemiparesis), and no major complications or deaths occurred.

CONCLUSIONS

The data show a high seizure-free rate in children ≤ 3 years of age, despite a higher occurrence of dysplastic, potentially ill-defined lesions. Pediatric patients undergoing epilepsy surgery can expect a significant reduction in their need for medication. Given the excellent results in the infant group, prospective studies are warranted to determine whether age ≤ 3 years is a predictor for excellent surgical outcome.
miRNA expression profiling of cerebrospinal fluid in patients with aneurysmal subarachnoid hemorrhage
Authors: Stylli Stanley S. , Adamides Alexios A. , Koldej Rachel M. , Luwor Rodney B. , Ritchie David S. , Ziogas James , Kaye Andrew H.
Published: April 2016

OBJECTIVE

MicroRNAs (miRNAs) regulate gene expression and therefore play important roles in many physiological and pathological processes. The aim of this pilot study was to determine the feasibility of extraction and subsequent profiling of miRNA from CSF samples in a pilot population of aneurysmal subarachnoid hemorrhage patients and establish if there is a distinct CSF miRNA signature between patients who develop cerebral vasospasm and those who do not.

METHODS

CSF samples were taken at various time points during the clinical management of a subset of SAH patients (SAH patient samples without vasospasm, n = 10; SAH patient samples with vasospasm, n = 10). CSF obtained from 4 patients without SAH was also included in the analysis. The miRNA was subsequently isolated and purified and then analyzed on an nCounter instrument using the Human V2 and V3 miRNA assay kits. The data were imported into the nSolver software package for differential miRNA expression analysis.

RESULTS

From a total of 800 miRNAs that could be detected with each version of the miRNA assay kit, a total of 691 miRNAs were communal to both kits. There were 36 individual miRNAs that were differentially expressed (p < 0.01) based on group analyses, with a number of miRNAs showing significant changes in more than one group analysis. The changes largely reflected differences between non-SAH and SAH groups. These included miR-204-5p, miR-223-3p, miR-337-5p, miR-451a, miR-489, miR-508-3p, miR-514-3p, miR-516-5p, miR-548 m, miR-599, miR-937, miR-1224-3p, and miR-1301. However, a number of miRNAs did exclusively differ between the vasospasm and nonvasospasm SAH groups including miR-27a-3p, miR-516a-5p, miR-566, and miR-1197.

CONCLUSIONS

The findings indicate that temporal miRNA profiling can detect differences between CSF from aneurysmal SAH and non-SAH patients. Moreover, the miRNA profile of CSF samples from patients who develop cerebral vasopasm may be distinguishable from those who do not. These results provide a foundation for future research at identifying novel CSF biomarkers that might predispose to the development of cerebral vasospasm after SAH and therefore influence subsequent clinical management.
A systematic review of outcomes of contralateral C-7 transfer for the treatment of traumatic brachial plexus injury: an international comparison
Authors: Mathews Alexandra L. , Yang Guang , Chang Kate Wan-Chu , Chung Kevin C.
Published: April 2016

OBJECTIVE

The effectiveness of contralateral C-7 (CC7) transfer is controversial, yet this procedure has been performed around the world to treat brachial plexus injuries. The authors performed a systematic review to study whether Asian countries reported better outcomes after CC7 transfer compared with “other” countries.

METHODS

A systematic literature search using PubMed, EMBASE, and 3 Chinese databases was completed. Patient outcomes of CC7 transfer to the median and musculocutaneous (MC) nerves were collected and categorized into 2 groups: Asia and “other” countries. China was included as a subcategory of Asia because investigators in China published the majority of the collected studies. To compare outcomes among studies, we created a normalized Medical Research Council (MRC) scale.

RESULTS

For median nerve outcomes, Asia reported that 41% of patients achieved an MRC grade of ≥ M3 of wrist flexion compared with 62% in “other” countries. For finger flexion, Asia found that 41% of patients reached an MRC grade of ≥ M3 compared with 38% in “other” countries. Asia reported that 60% of patients achieved ≥ S3 sensory recovery, compared with 32% in “other” countries. For MC nerve outcomes, 75% of patients from both Asia and “other” countries reached M4 and M3 in elbow flexion.

CONCLUSIONS

Current data did not demonstrate that studies from Asian countries reported better outcomes of CC7 transfer to the median and MC nerves. Future studies should focus on comparing outcomes of different surgical strategies for CC7 transfer.
A long-term study of durability and risk factors for aneurysm recurrence after microsurgical clip ligation
Authors: Brown Mason A. , Parish Jonathan , Guandique Cristian F. , Payner Troy D. , Horner Terry , Leipzig Thomas , Rupani Karishma V. , Kim Richard , Bohnstedt Bradley N. , Cohen-Gadol Aaron A.
Published: April 2016

OBJECTIVE

With the recent evolution of endovascular therapies, objective evaluation of the efficacy of clip ligation for cerebral aneurysms should be performed. This study was undertaken to evaluate the durability of microsurgical clip ligation, identify risk factors for recurrence, and assess the need for long-term follow-up imaging.

METHODS

A retrospective review of medical records identified 616 consecutive patients (156 male and 460 female patients; mean age 48.4 ± 12.4 years; range 6–90 years) who underwent microsurgical clip ligation and follow-up imaging at least 1 year after discharge between 1990 and 2010 at our institution. Of a total of 926 aneurysms in 616 patients, 758 aneurysms were microsurgically clip-ligated. At presentation, 431 of these aneurysms were ruptured and 327 aneurysms were unruptured. All patients underwent postoperative baseline imaging within the 1st month of their operation. A logistic regression analysis was performed to identify which variables are more likely to predict recurrence.

RESULTS

Late follow-up angiographic imaging was obtained at a mean of 7.2 ± 4.7 years postdischarge (median 5.7 years; range 1–23 years). Of the 699 clipped aneurysms without residua, late follow-up angiography revealed only 1 (0.14%) recurrent aneurysm. Of the 59 residual aneurysms that remained after initial clip ligation on early postoperative imaging, 8 (13.6%) demonstrated growth. All of these aneurysms required treatment. None of the recurrences were due to broken or delayed displacement of clips. A total of 111 patients presented with multiple aneurysms. De novo aneurysm formation occurred in 8 (0.97%) patients, all of whom initially presented with multiple aneurysms.

CONCLUSIONS

This study provides additional evidence to support the long-term efficacy of aneurysm clip ligation. The chance of aneurysm recurrence after complete clip ligation is very small. However, there is a regrowth risk of 1.83% per year for aneurysm remnants after incomplete clip ligation. These findings support the necessity for continued followup, late angiographic imaging, and the potential need for further intervention of incompletely ligated aneurysms. Furthermore, completely clip-ligated aneurysms may not require additional surveillance imaging unless multiple aneurysms were evident at presentation.
Endovascular therapy of low- and intermediate-grade intracranial lateral dural arteriovenous fistulas: a detailed analysis of primary success rates, complication rates, and long-term follow-up of different technical approaches
Authors: Ertl Lorenz , Brückmann Hartmut , Kunz Mathias , Crispin Alexander , Fesl Gunther
Published: April 2016

OBJECTIVE

Sinus-preserving (SP) embolization techniques augment endovascular treatment options for intracranial lateral dural arteriovenous fistulas (DAVFs). The authors aimed to perform a retrospective comparison of their primary success rates, complication rates, and long-term follow-up with those of sinus-occluding (SO) treatment variants in the collective of low- and intermediate-grade lateral DAVFs (Cognard Types I–IIb).

METHODS

Clinical symptoms, complication rates, and Cognard grading prior to and after endovascular DAVF treatment using different technical approaches was retrospectively analyzed in 36 patients with lateral DAVF Cognard Types I–IIb. The long-term success rate was determined by a standardized questionnaire.

RESULTS

The SO approaches offered a higher rate of definitive fistula occlusion (93% SO vs 71% SP) but were accompanied by a significantly higher complication rate (33% or 20% SO vs 0% SP). The patients interviewed reported very high satisfaction with their health in long-term follow-up in both groups.

CONCLUSIONS

A higher rate of definitive fistula occlusion in the SO group was attained at the price of a significantly higher complication rate. The SP approaches offered a good primary success rate in combination with a very low complication rate. Despite some limitations of the data (e.g., a small sample size) the authors thus recommend an SP variant as the primary therapeutic option for the endovascular treatment of low- and intermediate-grade DAVFs. The SO approaches should be restricted to cases in which SP treatment does not achieve a downgrading to no worse than Cognard Type IIa.
Novel technique of a multifunctional electrosurgical system for minimally invasive surgery
Authors: Mittelstein David , Deng Jiahan , Kohan Rachel , Sadeghi Mojdeh , Maarek Jean-Michel , Zada Gabriel
Published: April 2016

Bipolar electrosurgery in the minimally invasive endoscopic surgery theater has been traditionally limited to the use of standard bipolar forceps, which are minimally versatile, have a limited range of motion, and are associated with visualization and handling constraints. The authors designed a novel surgical device system in which commonly used surgical instruments (suction, microscissors, micrograspers, and dissectors) co-function as individually insulated and modular electrodes for bipolar electrosurgery. In this feasibility study, the successful use of these prototypes in endonasal endoscopic transsphenoidal surgery was demonstrated on 2 human cadavers, and in an in vivo arterial coagulation model on 2 live rats. This prototype system provided improved bipolar instrument mobility, minimized the requirement to exchange surgical instruments when performing electrosurgery, and allowed for new maneuvers that optimized surgical workflow, such as the ability to suction blood and smoke while cauterizing. This multifunctional bipolar cautery system may improve surgical efficiency and workflow and facilitate surgical microdissection and electrocautery during minimally invasive, endoscopic, robotic or traditional open surgery.
Neosuture formation after endoscope-assisted craniosynostosis repair
Authors: Salehi Afshin , Ott Katherine , Skolnick Gary B. , Nguyen Dennis C. , Naidoo Sybill D. , Kane Alex A. , Woo Albert S. , Patel Kamlesh B. , Smyth Matthew D.
Published: April 2016

OBJECTIVE

The goal of this study was to identify the rate of neosuture formation in patients with craniosynostosis treated with endoscope-assisted strip craniectomy and investigate whether neosuture formation in sagittal craniosynostosis has an effect on postoperative calvarial shape.

METHODS

The authors retrospectively reviewed 166 cases of nonsyndromic craniosynostosis that underwent endoscope-assisted repair between 2006 and 2014. Preoperative and 1-year postoperative head CT scans were evaluated, and the rate of neosuture formation was calculated. Three-dimensional reconstructions of the CT data were used to measure cephalic index (CI) (ratio of head width and length) of patients with sagittal synostosis. Regression analysis was used to calculate significant differences between patients with and without neosuture accounting for age at surgery and preoperative CI.

RESULTS

Review of 96 patients revealed that some degree of neosuture development occurred in 23 patients (23.9%): 16 sagittal, 2 bilateral coronal, 4 unilateral coronal, and 1 lambdoid synostosis. Complete neosuture formation was seen in 14 of those 23 patients (9 of 16 sagittal, 1 of 2 bilateral coronal, 3 of 4 unilateral coronal, and 1 of 1 lambdoid). Mean pre- and postoperative CI in the complete sagittal neosuture group was 67.4% and 75.5%, respectively, and in the non-neosuture group was 69.8% and 74.4%, respectively. There was no statistically significant difference in the CI between the neosuture and fused suture groups preoperatively or 17 months postoperatively in patients with sagittal synostosis.

CONCLUSIONS

Neosuture development can occur after endoscope-assisted strip craniectomy and molding helmet therapy for patients with craniosynostosis. Although the authors did not detect a significant difference in calvarial shape postoperatively in the group with sagittal synostosis, the relevance of neosuture formation remains to be determined. Further studies are required to discover long-term outcomes comparing patients with and without neosuture formation.
Computed tomography–generated anthropometric measurements of orbital relationships in normal infants and children
Authors: Pool Garrett M. , Didier Ryne A. , Bardo Dianna , Selden Nathan R. , Kuang Anna A.
Published: April 2016

OBJECTIVE

The aim of this study was to develop soft-tissue and bony anthropometric orbital measurements in a normal pediatric population based upon CT scans.

METHODS

This was a retrospective stratified study of children with ages ranging from birth to 36 months. Head CT images for 204 children were available and obtained with 0.625–1-mm slice widths. Soft-tissue and bone windows were reviewed. Images were oriented in the Frankfort horizontal plane, and the intercanthal (IC), bony interorbital (IO), and bony lateral orbital (LO) distances were measured. Age group stratifications were 0–3, > 3–6, > 6–9, > 9–12, > 12–18, > 18–24, > 24–30, and > 30–36 months. Patients with known syndromes or craniofacial abnormalities were excluded. Statistical analysis included the mean, SD, SEM, 95% CI, and an evaluation of IO:LO ratio.

RESULTS

There was an average of 25.5 patients in each age group (range 25–27 patients). All soft-tissue and bony measurements consistently showed rapid increase from 0–6 months of age, which tapered after age > 12 months. The mean IC, bony IO, and bony LO distances started at 22.22 ± 1.13 mm, 14.16 ± 0.74 mm, and 65.56 ± 1.76 mm, and at 12 months were 27.74 ± 1.01 mm, 16.21 ± 0.75 mm, and 77.98 ± 1.57 mm, respectively. The bony LO position was equivalent to the lateral canthal position and measurements. The IC distance was approximately one-third the lateral canthal distance for all age groups.

CONCLUSIONS

This study established and reported normal anthropometric orbital measurements in a pediatric population using fine-cut craniofacial CT. These measurements are essential when evaluating children with craniofacial anomalies.
Spinal intramedullary hamartoma with acute presentation in a 13-month old infant: case report
Authors: Samak Eslam M. , Abdel Latif Assem M. , Ghany Walid Abdel , Hewedi Iman H. , Amer Aboubakr , Moharram Hussein
Published: April 2016

True hamartomas of the spinal cord are very rare, and although several have been reported in the literature, there are few detailed radiological and pathological descriptions of the condition. There is also considerable overlap with other entities, the most common being spinal cord teratomas. The authors report the case of a 13-month-old child with a supragluteal sacral dimple who presented with acute neurological deterioration. MRI of the spine revealed a big intramedullary lesion with heterogeneous signal intensity. A near-total resection was performed, and histopathological examination demonstrated findings consistent with a spinal cord hamartoma. The authors believe that careful preoperative evaluation and rigorous pathological examination are mandatory to establish diagnosis and direct further management of cases in which such a lesion is suspected.
Genotyping‐by‐Sequencing Analysis for Determining Population Structure of Finger Millet Germplasm of Diverse Origins
Authors: Kumar Anil , Sharma Divya , Tiwari Apoorv , Jaiswal J.P. , Singh N.K. , Sood Salej
Published: April 2016

Finger millet [Eleusine coracana (L.) Gaertn.] is grown mainly by subsistence farmers in arid and semiarid regions of the world. To broaden its genetic base and to boost its production, it is of paramount importance to characterize and genotype the diverse gene pool of this important food and nutritional security crop. However, as a result of nonavailability of the genome sequence of finger millet, the progress could not be made in realizing the molecular basis of unique qualities of the crop. In the present investigation, attempts have been made to characterize the genetically diverse collection of 113 finger millet accessions through whole‐genome genotyping‐by‐sequencing (GBS), which resulted in a genome‐wide set of 23,000 single‐nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) segregating across the entire collection and several thousand SNPs segregating within every accession. A model‐based population structure analysis reveals the presence of three subpopulations among the finger millet accessions, which are in parallel with the results of phylogenetic analysis. The observed population structure is consistent with the hypothesis that finger millet was domesticated first in Africa, and from there it was introduced to India some 3000 yr ago. A total of 1128 gene ontology (GO) terms were assigned to SNP‐carrying genes for three main categories: biological process, cellular component, and molecular function. Facilitated access to high‐throughput genotyping and sequencing technologies are likely to improve the breeding process in developing countries, and as such, this data will be very useful to breeders who are working for the genetic improvement of finger millet.
Identification and Validation of Candidate Genes Associated with Domesticated and Improved Traits in Soybean
Authors: Zhou Ling , Luo Longhai , Zuo Jian‐Fang , Yang Linfeng , Zhang Li , Guang Xuanmin , Niu Yuan , Jian Jianbo , Geng Qing‐Chun , Liang Liping , Song Qijian , Dunwell Jim M. , Wu Zhenzhen , Wen Jia , Liu Yu‐Qin , Zhang Yuan‐Ming
Published: April 2016

Soybean, an important source of vegetable oils and proteins for humans, has undergone significant phenotypic changes during domestication and improvement. However, there is limited knowledge about genes related to these domesticated and improved traits, such as flowering time, seed development, alkaline‐salt tolerance, and seed oil content (SOC). In this study, more than 106,000 single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) were identified by restriction site associated DNA sequencing of 14 wild, 153 landrace, and 119 bred soybean accessions, and 198 candidate domestication regions (CDRs) were identified via multiple genetic diversity analyses. Of the 1489 candidate domestication genes (CDGs) within these CDRs, a total of 330 CDGs were related to the above four traits in the domestication, gene ontology (GO) enrichment, gene expression, and pathway analyses. Eighteen, 60, 66, and 10 of the 330 CDGs were significantly associated with the above four traits, respectively. Of 134 trait‐associated CDGs, 29 overlapped with previous CDGs, 11 were consistent with candidate genes in previous trait association studies, and 66 were covered by the domesticated and improved quantitative trait loci or their adjacent regions, having six common CDGs, such as one functionally characterized gene Glyma15 g17480 (GmZTL3). Of the 68 seed size (SS) and SOC CDGs, 37 were further confirmed by gene expression analysis. In addition, eight genes were found to be related to artificial selection during modern breeding. Therefore, this study provides an integrated method for efficiently identifying CDGs and valuable information for domestication and genetic research.
Genome‐Wide Association Analysis Reveals Different Genetic Control in Panicle Architecture Between Indica and Japonica Rice
Authors: Bai Xufeng , Zhao Hu , Huang Yong , Xie Weibo , Han Zhongmin , Zhang Bo , Guo Zilong , Yang Lin , Dong Haijiao , Xue Weiya , Li Guangwei , Hu Gang , Hu Yong , Xing Yongzhong
Published: April 2016

Panicle architecture determines the number of spikelets per panicle (SPP) and is highly associated with grain yield in rice (Oryza sativa L.). Understanding the genetic basis of panicle architecture is important for improving the yield of rice grain. In this study, we dissected panicle architecture traits into eight components, which were phenotyped from a germplasm collection of 529 cultivars. Multiple regression analysis revealed that the number of secondary branch (NSB) was the major factor that contributed to SPP. Genome‐wide association analysis was performed independently for the eight particle architecture traits observed in the indica and japonica rice subpopulations compared with the whole rice population. In total, 30 loci were associated with these traits. Of these, 13 loci were closely linked to known panicle architecture genes, and 17 novel loci were repeatedly identified in different environments. An association signal cluster was identified for NSB and number of spikelets per secondary branch (NSSB) in the region of 31.6 to 31.7 Mb on chromosome 4. In addition to the common associations detected in both indica and japonica subpopulations, many associated loci were unique to one subpopulation. For example, Ghd7 and DST were specifically associated with panicle length (PL) in indica and japonica rice, respectively. Moreover, the Ghd7‐mediated flowering genes Hd17 and Ehd1 were associated with the formation of panicle architecture in indica rice. These results suggest that different gene networks regulate panicle architecture in indica and japonica rice.
Emergence of HCV Resistance-Associated Variants in Patients Failing Sofosbuvir-Based Regimens: An Observational Cohort
Authors: André-Garnier Elisabeth , Ribeyrol Olivier , Gournay Jerome , Besse Bernard , Coste-Burel Marianne , Mabille-Archambeaud Isabelle , Billaud Eric , Biron Charlotte , Pineau Solene , Raff François , Imbert-Marcille Berthe-Marie
Published: April 2016

Background

Real-life effectiveness data of new hepatitis C direct-acting antivirals are now required. The present study aims to assess the rate of sustained viral response (SVR) and virological failure (VF) in patients infected with chronic HCV treated with sofosbuvir (SOF)-based regimens in routine medical practice.

Methods

This observational study included a total of 106 patients infected with HCV genotypes (G)1–4, who initiated SOF-based regimens in 2014. Viral load was followed at baseline, week (W)2, W4, W12 (or W24) and W12 post-treatment. For all VFs, resistance-associated variants (RAVs) were determined at baseline and failure by sequencing of NS5A, NS5B and/or NS3 genes, using the Sanger method.

Results

SVR rate was 85% for the whole cohort, 91% for the patients who underwent the full treatment course. The distribution of HCV genotypes was as follows: G1 n=66 (1a=33, 1b=29; 62%), G2 n=8 (8%), G3a n=20 (19%) and G4 n=12 (11%). The main regimens used were SOF+daclatasvir (37%), SOF+ribavirin (33%), SOF+simeprevir (26%) and SOF+ledipasvir (3%). Twenty-five (23%) patients were HIV-coinfected and 1 was HBV-coinfected. Seventy (65%) patients had a prior treatment experience. All VF were relapses ( n=9): 3 G1a, 1 G2, 4 G3a and 1 G4, and mutations conferring resistance to NS5A inhibitors were found but none for NS5B polymerase inhibitors.

Conclusions

In a real-life context, the rate of SVR in DAA-treated HCV-infected patients is close to clinical Phase III trial results. RAVs emerged for all patients treated by the anti-NS5A daclatasvir, and persisted several weeks after the end of treatment.
Acceptability of Lopinavir/R Pellets (Minitabs), Tablets and Syrups in HIV-Infected Children
Authors: Kekitiinwa Adeodata , Musiime Victor , Thomason Margaret J , Mirembe Grace , Lallemant Marc , Nakalanzi Sarah , Baptiste David , Walker A Sarah , Gibb Diana M , Judd Ali
Published: April 2016

Background

Lopinavir/ritonavir ‘pellets’ were recently tentatively approved for licensing. We describe their acceptability for infants and children up to 48 weeks.

Methods

CHAPAS-2 was a randomized, two-period crossover trial comparing syrup and pellets in HIV-infected infants ( n=19, group A, aged 3–<12 months) and children ( n=26, group B, 1–<4 years) and tablets and pellets in older children ( n=32, group C, 4–<13 years) from two clinics (‘JCRC’, ‘PIDC’) in Uganda. At week 8, all groups chose which formulation to continue. Acceptability data were collected at weeks 0, 4, 8, 12 and 48.

Results

For groups A and B overall, the proportion preferring pellets increased between week 0 and week 12 and decreased at week 48 (group A 37%, 72%, 44%; group B 12%, 64% and 36%, respectively), although there were marked differences between clinics. For group C, pellets were progressively less preferred to tablets over time: 41%, 19% and 13% at weeks 0, 12 and 48, respectively. During follow-up unpleasant taste was similarly reported among young children taking pellets and syrups (37%/43% group A; 29%/26% group B), whereas among older children, pellets tasted worse than tablets (40%/2%). No participants reported problems with storage/transportation for pellets (0%/0%) unlike syrups (23%/13%).

Conclusions

For children <4 years, pellets were more acceptable at week 12 but not week 48. Clinic differences could refect bias among health-care workers for different formulations. Pellets taste similar to syrup, are easier to store and transport than syrup and represent an alternative formulation for young children unable to swallow tablets; improvements in taste and support for healthcare workers may help sustain acceptability.
Lire la Torah
Authors: Chalier Catherine , Lauret Pierre
Published: April 2016

Catherine Chalier est professeure à l’UFR de philosophie de l’université Paris Ouest-Nanterre. Elle a publié de nombreux livres sur le judaïsme, la philosophie morale, la spiritualité. Dans Lire la Torah , elle expose les principes, les ressources et les enjeux de la lecture spirituelle de la Torah à quoi s’identifie la tradition religieuse du judaïsme.
Chine-Brésil, une comparaison instructive
Authors: Salama Pierre
Published: April 2016

Pourquoi le taux d’investissement est élevé en Chine et faible au Brésil ? Pourquoi des comportements schumpétériens semblent s’affirmer en Chine et des comportements rentiers au Brésil ? Contrairement aux idées imposées – le fameux : «  there is no alternative  » de Thatcher –, comparer permet de comprendre que des alternatives existent, l’imagination se nourrissant de la comparaison. L’objet des développements qui suivent est de comprendre l’essor de la Chine et du Brésil dans les années 2000, les limites aujourd’hui de leurs modes de croissance et d’imaginer enfin les alternatives possibles, en tenant compte des conflits entre les classes sociales et en leur sein.
Dynamiques et enjeux de la régulation des activités d’une filière gemmifère : les enseignements du cas brésilien du Minas Gerais
Authors: Reys Aurélien
Published: April 2016

Considéré comme l’une des plus importantes réserves de pierres de couleur au monde, le nord-est de l’État brésilien du Minas Gerais se présente comme un espace intéressant pour répondre à plusieurs questionnements au sujet des activités gemmifères. Ce cas d’étude offre tout d’abord un parfait exemple de la grande difficulté qui existe pour ce type de filière à séparer clairement les circuits licite et illicite tant l’ensemble des acteurs ont de nombreuses pratiques qui relèvent de l’informalité. Il permet également de s’intéresser aux politiques de régulation qui y sont menées et de souligner les grandes difficultés éprouvées dans leur quête d’un meilleur contrôle de la production. Néanmoins, si les stratégies déployées dans cet objectif se révèlent au final peu adaptées, la responsabilité directe des autorités dans le déclin des activités qui est observé reste limitée. L’érosion de l’industrie minière régionale semble en effet avoir d’autres origines, et en particulier celles de l’amélioration des conditions de vie des populations locales devenues moins enclines que par le passé à faire le choix de l’aventure gemmifère.
Les formes de la violence mexicaine au XXI e siècle
Authors: Bataillon Gilles
Published: April 2016

Le Mexique du XXI e siècle se caractérise par une hausse déconcertante de la violence et de la multiplication des actes de cruauté. Incontestablement lié à la montée en puissance des narcotrafiquants cette violence a pris une place centrale dans le débat public mexicain et l’incapacité du gouvernement à y faire face a fragilisé ce dernier. Qui sont les acteurs de la violence, quels rapports entretiennent-ils avec les autres acteurs sociaux de bas en haut de la pyramide sociale. Comment ces phénomènes témoignent-ils d’un rapport très particulier à la question de la loi et de l’égalité dans la communauté politique.
Lever le démenti ?
Authors: Podlejski Jacques
Published: April 2016

À partir du repérage de démentis collectifs dans les discours contemporains et du peu de considération accordé au concept de démenti dans la littérature analytique, quelques questions et hypothèses sont proposées en faveur d’un renouveau de ce concept dans l’élaboration clinique et théorique.
Au cœur de la passe, les passeurs
Authors: Thibaudeau Laure
Published: April 2016

Du passeur, Lacan dit qu’« il est la passe ». Quels sont les enjeux que soutiennent les passeurs dans l’expérience de la passe ?
Real-Time Classification of Water Spray and Leaks for Robotic Firefighting
Authors: McNeil Joshua G. , Lattimer Brian Y.
Published: April 2016

Robotic firefighting is an area of increased focus as a way of limiting the exposure of firefighters to hazardous environments. A suppression system must incorporate multiple functionalities to allow for closed-loop firefighting control. One area of development is classifying water spray as a way of correcting errors between suppressant placement and fire location. An IR vision system is presented which is capable of identifying water. Image segmentation is performed, followed by a process that classifies regions of interest as water or non-water objects. A probabilistic classification method, using Naïve Bayes classifier, was applied on a varied dataset of differing water temperatures and sprays. Objects were segmented using frame differencing with image intensity and difference thresholds. Segments were manually labeled to create a training dataset. Precision, recall, F-measure, and G-measure results of the classifier on a separate test dataset ranged from 86.1-97.4% for classifying water objects using the test dataset with water classification alone having 94.2-97.4% accuracy.
Quasi Oppositional Teaching-Learning based Optimization for Optimal Power Flow Incorporating FACTS
Authors: Dutta Susanta , Roy Provas Kumar , Nandi Debashis
Published: April 2016

In this paper, quasi-oppositional teaching-learning based optimization (QOTLBO) is introduced and successfully applied for solving an optimal power flow (OPF) problem in power system incorporating flexible AC transmission systems (FACTS). The main drawback of the original teaching-learning based optimization (TLBO) is that it gives a local optimal solution rather than the near global optimal one in limited iteration cycles. In this paper, opposition based learning (OBL) concept is introduced to improve the convergence speed and simulation results of TLBO. The effectiveness of the proposed method implemented with MATLAB and tested on modified IEEE 30-bus system in four different cases. The simulation results show the effectiveness and accuracy of the proposed QOTLBO algorithm over other methods like conventional BBO and hybrid biogeography-based optimization (HDE-BBO). This method gives better solution quality in finding the optimal parameter settings for FACTS devices to solve OPF problems. The simulation study also shows that using FACTS devices, it is possible to improve the quality of the electric power supply thereby providing an economically attractive solution to power system problems.
Fuzzy Rough Support Vector Machine for Data Classification
Authors: Chaudhuri Arindam
Published: April 2016

In this paper, classification task is performed by FRSVM. It is variant of FSVM and MFSVM. Fuzzy rough set takes care of sensitiveness of noisy samples and handles impreciseness. The membership function is developed as function of cener and radius of each class in feature space. It plays an important role towards sampling the decision surface. The training samples are either linear or nonlinear separable. In nonlinear training samples, input space is mapped into high dimensional feature space to compute separating surface. The different input points make unique contributions to decision surface. The performance of the classifier is assessed in terms of the number of support vectors. The effect of variability in prediction and generalization of FRSVM is examined with respect to values of C. It effectively resolves imbalance and overlapping class problems, normalizes to unseen data and relaxes dependency between features and labels. Experimental results on both synthetic and real datasets support that FRSVM achieves superior performance in reducing outliers' effects than existing SVMs.
Cloud Service Evaluation and Selection Using Fuzzy Hybrid MCDM Approach in Marketplace
Authors: Subramanian Thiruselvan , Savarimuthu Nickolas
Published: April 2016

Cloud services are offered independently or combining two or more services to satisfy consumer requirements. Different types of cloud service providers such as direct sellers, resellers and aggregators provide services with different level of service features and quality. The selection of best suitable services involves multi-criteria nature of services to be compared with the presence of both qualitative and quantitative factors, which make it considerably more complex. To overcome this complexity, a fuzzy hybrid multi-criteria decision making approach has been proposed, which includes both qualitative and quantitative factors. Triangular fuzzy numbers are used in all pairwise comparison matrices in the Fuzzy ANP and the criteria weights are utilized by Fuzzy TOPSIS and Fuzzy ELECTRE methods to rank the alternatives. This strategy is demonstrated with selection of cloud based collaboration tool for designers. Finally, sensitivity analysis is performed to prove the robustness of the proposed approach.