bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Diez años de colaboración con el Instituto de Ecología y Sistemática, de la Academia de Ciencias de Cuba
Authors: Fernández Casas F. Javier , Morales Valverde Ramón
Published: June 2014

[es] Al cumplirse diez años del comienzo de nuestra colaboración con el Instituto de Ecología y Sistemática, de la Academia de Ciencias de Cuba, se hace balance de la relación, enfatizando sus logros.

[fr] Dix ans aprés avoir commencé une collaboration scientifique avec l' Instituto de Ecología y Sistemática, de l'Academia de Ciencias de Cuba, on fait balance de la situation, en remarquant les travaux accomplies.

[ru] Итоги десятилетнего сотрудничества с Институтом по Экологии и Систематике Акад. Наук Кубы, в котором особенно подчеркиваются его положительные аспекты.

[de] Nach zehn Jahren ven Gemeinschaftsarbeit mit dem Instituto de Ecología y Sistemática, der Academia de Ciencias de Cuba, werden hier die Ergebnisse, in spezieller Weise die hervorragende, vorgestellt.
Salvadorianae. III. Una descripció prelinneana de Silene niceensis All., deguda a Jaume Salvador i Pedrol, a l'edició de 1686 del Botanicum Monspeliense de Pèire Magnol
Authors: Camarasa Josep M.
Published: June 2014

La cariofil làcia Silene niceensis All. pròpia dels sorrats litorals de la Mediterrània occidental i present també a les costes atlàntiques ibèriques. des de l' estret de Gibraltar fins a les Rias Baixas i en alguna localitat grega, havia estar descrita al menys dues vegades temps prelinneans malgrat que Linné mateix la ignorés a les seves obres. La primera descripció prelinneana. bé que publicada por Péire Magnol a l’apèndix a la segona edició del seu Botanicum monspeliense,. es feu sobre la base de materials i fins i tot d'una descripció sumaria deguts a Jaume Salvador i Pedrol. Es conserva un plec d'aquesta planta a l'herbari Salvador, l’etiqueta de la qual porta una descripció abreujada que podria ser la original de Jaume Salvador. La segona de les descripcions prelinneanes es de Tournefort que la publica a les seves Institutiones Rei herbariae. i sola aquesta identitat es troba a l'Herbari Salvador un segon plec de S. niceensis All. Pourret, cap a finals del segle XVIII ( 1792-98), s’adonà de la identitat dels exemplars d' ambdós plecs i, desconeixent la descripció d' Allioni, els assignà el nom de S. Arenaria Pourr , el mateix que va fer Desfontaines amb els exemplars de la planta que herboritzà al S de la península ibèrica. Un i altre noms son invàlids i han passar a la sinonímia.
Note esegetico-testuali a Dione di Prusa IV: Sul filosofo (Or. LXXI)
Authors: Amato Eugenio
Published: June 2014

[it] Note critiche ed esegetiche al discorso LXXI (Sul filosofo) di Dione di Prusa.
Análisis del dativo en construcciones impersonales: los conceptos de sujeto y de semisujeto en griego antiguo
Authors: Conti Luz
Published: June 2014

Las construcciones impersonales con un complemento en dativo y otro en genitivo se documentan en griego en un número muy reducido de verbos que designan interés o necesidad. Aunque se trata de una construcción presente también en otras lenguas indoeuropeas antiguas, en griego se documenta a partir de fecha posthomérica. Las construcciones personales, más recientes en otras lenguas, se documentan en griego, sin embargo, ya desde Homero. El dativo de la construcción impersonal designa entidades humanas y, además, expresa el Experimentador y el tópico. Estas propiedades designativas, semánticas y pragmáticas, próximas a las del sujeto prototípico, permiten al dativo ciertos comportamientos sintácticos característicos del sujeto. Nos hallamos, pues, ante un semisujeto, es decir, ante un complemento verbal que, a pesar de su codificación gramatical, diferente de la del sujeto, presenta unas propiedades y unos comportamientos sintácticos próximos a los de este. El genitivo de la construcción impersonal objeto de estudio presenta también comportamientos sintácticos característicos del sujeto, si bien estos comportamientos solo coinciden parcialmente con los del dativo.
Cosmología, cosmogonía y teogonía en el poema de Parménides
Authors: Bredlow Luis Andrés
Published: June 2014

El propósito de este artículo es ofrecer una nueva reconstrucción del sistema del mundo físico de Parménides, distinguiendo debidamente los momentos cosmológicos, cosmogónicos y teogónicos de la teoría, cuya confusión ha sido fuente principal de malentendidos en las interpretaciones anteriores. En particular, el sistema de coronas o anillos de B 12 y A 37 no representa el orden actual del universo, sino la estructura general de la materia, así como el estado inicial de la cosmogonía (sección 1), según puede inferirse también de la lectura de los fragmentos por Simplicio (sección 2). Esa distinción permitirá una reconstrucción tentativa de la cosmogonía (sección 3) y la cosmología de Parménides, cuyo rasgo más llamativo es la ubicación de las estrellas fijas por debajo del Sol y de la Luna, sostenida asimismo por Anaximandro y —como trataré de mostrar— en la cosmología del papiro órfico de Derveni (sección 4).
Apuntes sobre el participio ἐττημένα (Pherecr., fr. 243 K.-A.), su etimología y su adscripción lexicográfica
Authors: Rodríguez-Noriega Guillén Lucía
Published: June 2014

La adscripción lexicográfica del participio ἐττημένα (Pherecr., fr. 243 K.‑A.) resulta problemática, hasta el punto de que ningún diccionario ha conseguido por el momento dar con una solución satisfactoria a la hora de incluir su mención. En este artículo se aborda la cuestión pasando revista a 1) las diversas palabras de la familia, teniendo en cuenta las fuentes que las documentan y los problemas textuales que puedan presentar, 2) la etimología indoeuropea del verbo, y 3) su evolución fonética en griego. Nuestra conclusión es que si, como parece muy probable, el verbo procede de IE *ky(e)H2‑, de acuerdo con la etimología propuesta por Puhvel, el presente correspondiente a ἐττημένα en ático debe ser τάω (equivalente a jónico σάω), forma que se conoce por el testimonio de Filóxeno y los Etymologica, que toman de él la información.
Anticlericalismo y primera violencia en la Diócesis de Nueva Pamplona, Colombia (1930-1934): Clero, políticos, jueces y policías
Authors: Vázquez Piñeros María del Rosario
Published: June 2014

El presente artículo aborda las estrategias anticlericales de las autoridades liberales en la Diócesis de Nueva Pamplona, Colombia, durante el gobierno de Enrique Olaya (1930-34). Dichas estrategias tuvieron como principal objetivo minar la imagen de los párrocos y, en consecuencia, reducir su poder de convocatoria electoral a favor del conservatismo. Con el fin de ampliar las posibles explicaciones de este fenómeno, se contrastaron diferentes tipos de fuentes —hemerográficas y documentales, civiles y eclesiásticas— de diversa proveniencia política.
El Socialista versus El debate (Enero-Septiembre 1933)
Authors: Arbeloa Víctor Manuel
Published: June 2014

La lectura de El Socialista y de El Debate permite conocer mejor y interpretar las posiciones de la izquierda y de la derecha, del socialismo y del catolicismo político, entre enero y septiembre de 1933. En esos meses, se produce el ascenso del fascismo y del nazismo y un giro en la estrategia de la izquierda. La posición de la Santa Sede ante el Gobierno de México, reforzó la opción legalista de los católicos
que dieron su sufragio a la CEDA.
La línea de cada uno de los dos diarios, la confrontación entre ellos, enmarca y da fondo al bloque de los trabajos legislativos, a la solución de la crisis de junio, con la salida del Partido Radical, a la dimisión de Manuel Azaña en septiembre y a la convocatoria de elecciones legislativas, que dan paso a una nueva situación política.
Dios, patria y hogar. La trilogía en la educación de las mujeres
Authors: González Pérez Teresa
Published: June 2014

El régimen dictatorial de Franco estaba basado en principios de autoridad y jerarquía patriarcal con notoria incidencia en las relaciones sociales. El discurso ideológico apoyado por la iglesia estuvo subyacente en toda la actividad pública y privada. La imagen de las mujeres era la misma que habían tenido en tiempos ancestrales, pero en este momento con unas motivaciones ideológicas que perseguían convertirlas en garantes y legitimadoras del régimen a través de la familia. Con el apoyo de la Iglesia y la Sección Femenina se mitificó el modelo de mujer sustentado en la trilogía Dios, Patria y Hogar. La educación construyó el prototipo de mujer apoyado en el discurso tradicional católico que se perpetuó a lo largo de toda la dictadura.
Evaluación e indicadores de calidad en bases de datos
Authors: Rodríguez Yunta L.
Published: June 2014

Análisis de la problemática del control de calidad desde el punto de vista de los productores de bases de datos documentales. Se intentan sistematizar los distintos criterios que se han propuesto para la evaluación de la calidad en bases de datos, así como enumerar métodos de recogida de datos que pueden aplicarse. Se hace un especial hincapié en la relación entre la calidad y el diseño de las bases de datos, a través del ejemplo de la base de datos ISOC.
Propuesta de un sistema de evaluación para bibliotecas universitarias
Authors: De la Mano González M.
Published: June 2014

A pesar de la importancia evidente que tiene la evaluación del rendimiento en la elaboración de planes, gestión de recursos y desarrollo futuro de toda organización, este tipo de medición ha venido representando una práctica poco habitual en la biblioteca universitaria española. Sin embargo, las restricciones presupuestarias, las presiones institucionales y la preocupación creciente por la calidad han obligado y obligan a las bibliotecas de nuestras universidades a plantearse, cada vez con mayor frecuencia, el reto de conocer y valorar su propio funcionamiento, con miras a mejorar sus niveles de beneficio y eficacia. Es aquí donde cabe situar la necesidad de diseñar un sistema de evaluación que permita valorar la mar cha de estas unidades de información de un modo continuo y normalizado, proporcionando los datos cuantitativos imprescindibles para una toma de decisiones sólida y bien cimentada. El sistema que aquí se propone pretende facilitar esta medición a dos niveles: uno meramente descriptivo, en el que se obtengan datos "brutos" sobre los diferentes aspectos que configuran la realidad de la biblioteca universitaria; y otro analítico, mediante la formulación de indicadores que permitan el procesamiento e interpretación de esa información.
Modeling Platform-Independent and Platform-Specific Service Architectures with UML and the ArchiMeDeS Framework
Authors: López-Sanz Marcos , Marcos Esperanza
Published: June 2014

Service-oriented architectures have, over the last decade, gradually become more important. The vast diversity of implementation and support platforms for this kind of architecture increases the complexity of the processes used to develop service-based systems. The task of specifying service architectures can be eased by following a model-driven approach and the appropriate model notations. In this chapter, the authors explore the architectural properties of the service-oriented paradigm and present part of a framework for the specification of service-oriented software architectures. The main idea is to use the separation into different abstraction levels fostered by the MDA proposal and tackle the software architecture specification progressively, stepping from conceptual to platform-specific levels. This chapter particularly concentrates upon describing UML profiles for the PIM and PSM levels of service-oriented architectural models, along with their corresponding metamodels. The use of the proposed profiles is illustrated in a case study in which the proposed profiles are implemented.
Agile Development Processes and Knowledge Documentation
Authors: Rubin Eran , Rubin Hillel
Published: June 2014

Agile processes emphasize operational system code rather than its documentation. Ironically, however, some traditional documentation artefacts come to support system-stakeholders interaction, which is another core aspect of agile development processes. In this chapter, the authors examine the relationship between system development and knowledge documentation. They develop an approach that enables incorporating domain documentation to agile development while keeping the processes adaptive. The authors also provide a system design that actively uses domain knowledge documentation.
The Role of Compliance and Conformance in Software Engineering
Authors: Delgado José C.
Published: June 2014

One of the most fundamental aspects of software engineering is the ability of software artifacts, namely programs, to interact and to produce applications that are more complex. This is known as interoperability, but, in most cases, it is dealt with at the syntactic level only. This chapter analyzes the interoperability problem from the point of view of abstract software artifacts and proposes a multidimensional framework that not only structures the description of these artifacts but also provides insight into the details of the interaction between them. The framework has four dimensions (lifecycle, concreteness level, concerns, and version). To support and characterize the interaction between artifacts, this chapter uses the concepts of compliance and conformance, which can establish partial interoperability between the artifacts. This reduces coupling while still allowing the required interoperability, which increases adaptability and changeability according to metrics that are proposed and contributes to a sustainable interoperability.
T-Way Testing Strategies
Authors: Zamli Kamal Z. , Alsewari AbdulRahman A. , Younis Mohammed I
Published: June 2014

In line with the advancement of hardware technology and increasing consumer demands for new functionalities and innovations, software applications grew tremendously in term of size over the last decade. This sudden increase in size has a profound impact as far as testing is concerned. Here, more and more unwanted interactions among software systems components, hardware, and operating system are to be expected, rendering increased possibility of faults. To address this issue, many useful interaction-based testing techniques (termed t-way strategies) have been developed in the literature. As an effort to promote awareness and encourage its usage, this chapter surveys the current state-of-the-art and reviews the state-of-practices in the field. In particular, unlike earlier work, this chapter also highlights the different possible adoptions of t-way strategies including uniform interaction, variable strength interaction, and input-output-based relation, that is, to help test engineers make informed decision on the actual use of t-way strategies.
Non-Intrusive Adaptation of System Execution Traces for Performance Analysis of Software Systems
Authors: Peiris Manjula , Hill James H.
Published: June 2014

This chapter discusses how to adapt system execution traces to support analysis of software system performance properties, such as end-to-end response time, throughput, and service time. This is important because system execution traces contain complete snapshots of a systems execution—making them useful artifacts for analyzing software system performance properties. Unfortunately, if system execution traces do not contain the required properties, then analysis of performance properties is hard. In this chapter, the authors discuss: (1) what properties are required to analysis performance properties in a system execution trace; (2) different approaches for injecting the required properties into a system execution trace to support performance analysis; and (3) show, by example, the solution for one approach that does not require modifying the original source code of the system that produced the system execution.
Reporting Practices for Close Call (Near Miss) Reporting Systems
Authors: Craig B , Papillon R , Curry J , Zhu W
Published: June 2014

This paper identifies best practices for reporting close calls (near misses) in the maritime industry. The practices were identified by reviewing approximately 44,000 actual close call reports from 27 data sources. Even though the close call data is provided in a wide variety of formats, the data demonstrates a surprising degree of uniformity in the collection of the close call data and resolution of the close calls with most organizations capturing an incident description and incident resolution. A number of organizations also have formal corporate response feedback mechanism for all incidents. The analysis demonstrates that many features of close call reporting systems discussed in the literature are being implemented in practice including avoiding blame, disseminating close call reports, and developing effective corrective measures. Based on the review of industry practices and industry feedback, a sample close call reporting form and taxonomy for close calls will be developed.
Experience From Field Life Extension
Authors: Tveit Egil , Sivertsen Håkon , Hernæs Sigurd
Published: June 2014

As the offshore industry is maturing we see an increased ability to find and produce more oil from established fields and their surrounding areas. The challenge for the operator and the suppliers is to find ways of safely and economically extracting this upside. The purpose of this paper is to share the experience gained while working on these challenges and to summarise the main challenges with respect to cost, technical and safety, and to provide an overview of our experience from extending the life of the existing subsea equipment beyond the original design brief. This includes obsolescence, changing operating condition, availability of documentation and risk mitigating actions such as condition monitoring. The paper also discusses the technical innovations that allow us to solve or bypass the limitations of the existing facilities, including subsea separation and boosting as well as condition and performance monitoring. The paper also touches on the economics of late life investment for extending the field life and comments on the diminishing returns the longer the investment is delayed.
Key Aspects of Deepwater Appraisal
Authors: Reid David , Wilson Thomas , Dekker Martijn
Published: June 2014

Projects in the global deepwater environment are increasingly complex, costly and often face significant schedule pressures to reach both a "commitment to develop" decision and "first oil/gas milestone". Typical industry deepwater project costs ranges from USD$1 billion for a small scale subsea tie-back to upward of USD$10 billion for a custom design standalone hub class development. Therefore ensuring that the appraisal campaign addresses the data acquisition required to reduce both key subsurface, and key development uncertainties as well as enable a robust development decision is critical. The appraisal phase of the project (post discovery) is the most important early phase in the development cycle which sets the stage for the remainder of the concept selection, detailed design, execution and production phases of the development.

This paper explores and discusses, with the use of relevant examples, the key aspects of appraisal planning and execution specifically related to reducing uncertainties and determining the ultimate development scope for deepwater oil and gas development projects. The paper does not attempt to expand on building understanding or managing the non-technical aspects of early phase deepwater project management which can have an equally significant role in shaping the ultimate deepwater development project.
Applications Of Detailed Velocity Field Studies From High Resolution Seismic (HRS) Data
Authors: Stennett I. A. , Wakefield N. D. , Games K. P.
Published: June 2014

Seismic processing of HRS data has advanced rapidly over recent years. It has become fairly standard to consider such processes as pre-stack time and depth migration, SRME demultiple and AVO studies using near, mid and far traces. Less common has been the use of detailed velocity field analysis to tackle specific interpretation problems, especially in the very shallow sub-seabed data, which can prove difficult to resolve using single channel or conventional exploration seismic data.

This paper outlines the theory behind this technique, which allows for very fine detail to be analysed due to the higher resolution of these data compared with conventional exploration data, and presents two case studies showing the type of problems that have been solved by its use.

The first problem was one of identifying a layer of weathered chalk just below seabed which could not be identified from the character of the seismic data alone. This was successfully accomplished by a combination of the velocity studies with the assistance of borehole data for ground truthing. The second was to produce an accurate velocity model of a shallow channel feature which was producing a push down effect on all the deeper data, affecting both the HRS and the 3D datasets, and which could not be removed by the 3D processing. The resulting model was able to remove the push down effect and be effectively applied to both the 2D and 3D data.

The successful application of detailed velocity field studies to HRS data has great potential covering a variety of problems which may not be able to be resolved in any other way.
New Kinetic Model to Characterize the Filter Cake Formation and Fluid Loss in HPHT Process
Authors: Vipulanandan C. , Raheem A. , Basirat B. , Mohammed A. S. , Richardson D. A.
Published: June 2014

Drilling muds are used in oil, gas, and geothermal well drilling, and fluid loss and filter cake formation are critical issues related to successful operations. Also, the filter cake formation and fluid loss are affected by high pressure and high temperature (HPHT) in the borehole. Rate and total fluid loss from drilling mud can affect the performance of the drilling mud and well safety. Hence, it is critical to quantify not only the rate of fluid loss process but also the changes in the filter cake formation during the fluid loss process. Past studies have assumed that the permeability and solid fraction in the filter cake remained unchanged during the formation of the cake and the fluid loss was directly propositional to the square-root of time (API Model).

In the experimental part of this study, fluid loss tests were performed for 420 minutes on 2 percent and 8 percent bentonite drilling muds at 100 psig pressure and 100°C temperature. A new kinetic hyperbolic model was developed based on satisfying the basic governing conditions during fluid loss and assuming that the permeability and solid content during the filter cake formation changes with time, temperature and pressure. The new kinetic model was verified with results from various HPHT fluid loss studies reported in the literature and HPHT experiments performed during this study. The new kinetic model prediction was also compared to the API model, and it predicted both short-term (up to 30 minutes) and longterm fluid losses very well. Hence, the new kinetic model can be used to better model the filter cake formation and filter loss in real time as functions of changes in permeability and solid content in the filter cake.
Field and laboratory methods used by the Geological Survey of Canada in geochemical surveys, No. 10. radon determination apparatus for geochemical prospecting for uranium
Authors: Dyck W
Published: June 2014

A radon detection instrument was developed comprising a port­able nuclear scaler-timer, a photomultiplier, alpha- sensitive cells made with silver-activated zinc sulphide, and a simple vacuum system. The instrument is suitable for the absolute determination of
radon in 30 to 40 water samples per day with a practical lower detection limit of 0. 25 pico­curies. Evacuated 130 ml cells are filled with air bubbled through 130 ml of sample and the alpha activity determined with the counter. Relative radon and/or thoron concentrations in soil emanations were
measured on site with the same instrument using a slightly modified cell. These tests take about 3 to 5 minutes and are carried out by inserting a fritted tube into a hole punched in the ground, pumping air from the hole into the cell with a rubber bulb, and measuring the alpha activity of the air
with the counter.
Oil and gas resource potential of Eagle Plain Basin, Yukon, Canada
Authors: Hannigan P K
Published: June 2014

The intermontane Eagle Plain Basin lies within the mountainous and deformed Northern Yukon Fold Complex geological province of the northern mainland of Canada. This Paleozoic-Mesozoic basin forms a petroleum province that is less deformed and less structurally
elevated compared to surrounding mountain belts. The Eagle Plain Basin contains the Eagle Fold Belt which consists of bundles of en-échelon folds that have wavelengths of several to tens of kilometres. The folds developed during the Laramide Orogeny and form well-defined structural closures
suitable for entrapment of hydrocarbons in the subsurface.
Several assessment studies of petroleum potential have been completed for the Eagle Plain Basin. Recent work associated with the Geomapping for Energy and Minerals Program interpreted petroleum exploration play concepts not previously defined. Evaluations of new petroleum data indicated the need to
re-assess the conventional oil and gas potential of the basin. In this study, a total of 21 conventional petroleum exploration plays are defined. Also, the potential for unconventional tight oil and gas, and shale oil and gas accumulations (not previously assessed) are included in the report. Given
the fact that some conventional plays and all of the unconventional plays were not quantitatively analyzed because of insufficient data, the total petroleum resource indicated in this study is likely a conservative estimate, as there is evidence for hydrocarbon charge in these non-assessed plays.
The probabilistic assessment of total oil and gas potential (discovered and undiscovered) for all Phanerozoic sedimentary strata in Eagle Plain and its environs is 52.2*106 m3 (329 MMBO) of oil and 96.7*109 m3 (3.4 Tcf) of gas (in-place mean volumes). Although there are sizeable discovered
reserves (3.2*106 m3 (20 MMBO) of oil and 4.6*109 m3 (165 Bcf) of gas), undiscovered resource potential is significant, as exemplified by the prediction of 2 remaining undiscovered oil pools with mean in-place volumes greater than 4.0*106 m3 (25.2 MMBO) and 4 gas pool sizes greater than
2.0*109 m3 (71 Bcf).
A review of the systemic adverse effects of areca nut or betel nut
Authors: Garg Apurva , Chaturvedi Pankaj , Gupta Prakash C.
Published: June 2014

Areca nut is widely consumed by all ages groups in many parts of the world, especially south-east Asia. The objective of this review is to systematically review and collate all the published data that are related to the systemic effects of areca nut. The literature search was performed by an electronic search of the Pubmed and Cochrane databases using keywords and included articles published till October 2012. We selected studies that covered the effect of areca nut on metabolism, and a total of 62 studies met the criteria. There is substantial evidence for carcinogenicity of areca nut in cancers of the mouth and esophagus. Areca nut affects almost all organs of the human body, including the brain, heart, lungs, gastrointestinal tract and reproductive organs. It causes or aggravates pre-existing conditions such as neuronal injury, myocardial infarction, cardiac arrhythmias, hepatotoxicity, asthma, central obesity, type II diabetes, hyperlipidemia, metabolic syndrome, etc. Areca nut affects the endocrine system, leading to hypothyroidism, prostate hyperplasia and infertility. It affects the immune system leading to suppression of T-cell activity and decreased release of cytokines. It has harmful effects on the fetus when used during pregnancy. Thus, areca nut is not a harmless substance as often perceived and proclaimed by the manufacturers of areca nut products such as Pan Masala, Supari Mix, Betel quid, etc. There is an urgent need to recognize areca nut as a harmful food substance by the policy makers and prohibit its glamorization as a mouth freshener. Strict laws are necessary to regulate the production of commercial preparations of areca nut.
Carboplatin hypersensitivity in relapsed ovarian carcinoma: A therapeutic challenge
Authors: Pandey Avinash , Bhosale Bharat , Pandita Vimal , Singh Ashish , Ghosh Joydeep , Ghosh Jaya , Bajpai Jyoti
Published: June 2014

Carboplatin and paclitaxel as doublet are the standard therapeutic option for advanced stage ovarian carcinoma in the first line as well as relapse. Carboplatin with its better toxicity profile has replaced cisplatin as the first line drug. However, increase in incidence of carboplatin hypersensitivity is alarming. Severity of carboplatin hypersensitivity varies from a mild rash to life-threatening reactions. With an increase in the number of cycles the risk of hypersensitivity reactions increase, which jeopardizes the use of this highly effective drug in a significant proportion of patients. Prompt diagnosis and rapid therapeutic rescue are the key in severe life-threatening reactions. Managing patients with carboplatin hypersensitivity and planning subsequent therapy is thus a therapeutic challenge.
Clinicohematological correlation and chromosomal breakage analysis in suspected Fanconi anemia patients of India
Authors: Chowdhry Mohit , Makroo Raj Nath , Srivastava Priyanka , Kumar Manoj , Sharma Sonika , Bhadauria Preeti , Mahajan Amita
Published: June 2014

Introduction: The management of patients with aplastic anemia, to an extent, depends on the etiology i.e., inherited or acquired. The classical Chromosomal breakage study involves detection of chromosomal breakage or aberrations (breaks, gaps, rearrangements, radials, exchanges, endoreduplications) in peripheral blood cells after culture with a T-cell mitogen and a DNA clastogenic (cross-linking) agent, such as diepoxybutane (DEB) or mitomycin C (MMC). The testing needs to be performed in laboratory with appropriate expertise in Fanconi Anemia testing. The present study was undertaken to find out the frequency of inherited aplastic anemia in North India. Materials and Methods: This study was carried out at the Department of Molecular Biology and Transplant Immunology, Indraprastha Apollo hospital, New Delhi. The study includes retrospective analysis of 528 aplastic anemia patients whose samples were tested at our department for Chromosomal breakage study during the period 2007 to 2011. Respective age and sex matched healthy controls were also processed for chromosomal breakage study. Patient′s habitat, clinical symptoms, differential blood count and history of drug exposure were documented for all patients referred to us, whereever available. Relative risk was estimated by odds ratio (OR) with 95% confidence interval (CI) in matched cases and controls. Conclusion: A significant increase in chromosomal breakages was seen in 13.1% patients. The survival data documented for 100 patients suggested 60% mortality.
Incidence of BCR-ABL transcript variants in patients with chronic myeloid leukemia: Their correlation with presenting features, risk scores and response to treatment with imatinib mesylate
Authors: Deb Pratik , Chakrabarti Prantar , Chakrabarty Shila , Aich Rajarshi , Nath Uttam , Ray Siddhartha Sankar , Chaudhuri Utpal
Published: June 2014

Context: The exact role of the different transcript variants of BCR-ABL in the pathogenesis of chronic myeloid leukemia (CML) and their impact on prognosis is yet to be definitely enumerated. Aims: In this study, we have tried to correlate the presenting features, risk scores and treatment response with the BCR-ABL variants detected in our patients. Settings and Design: A cross-sectional unicentric hospital-based study on 80 patients diagnosed to have CML by bone marrow cytogenetics and confirmed by reverse transcriptase-polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR). Materials and Methods: RT-PCR for BCR-ABL was performed on consecutive patients with CML attending the CML clinic from January 2010 to December 2010.The medical charts of these patients were analyzed after a follow-up of 18 months in a retrospective manner. Statistical Analysis: Box plot and histogram was used to see the distribution of variables. t-test was performed to enumerate the difference between risk scores in two populations of patients carrying two different BCR-ABL transcript variants. Results: Nearly 56.25% of patients had b3a2 (e14a2) while 41.25% of patients showed b2a2 (e13a2) transcripts. The rest 2.5% (two patients) expressed the rare e19b2 variant. Patients with b2a2 presented with higher Sokal, Hasford and European Treatment and Outcomes Study score than their b3a2 counterpart. Different parameters such as the platelet count, leukocyte count, hemoglobin and splenomegaly showed a minor difference between the groups. More patients in the b2a2 group achieved complete hematologic response at 3 months, but it was not significant. Conclusions: Patients with b2a2 variant CML tend to present with higher risk score, but do not behave in a vastly different manner than their b3a2 counterparts.
Correlation of oral health of children with acute leukemia during the induction phase
Authors: Dholam Kanchan P. , Gurav Sandeep , Dugad Jinesh , Banavli Shripad
Published: June 2014

Background: Treatment of acute leukemia′s- a common childhood malignancy, involves intensive and powerful multi-drug chemotherapeutic regime. Oral lesions are a common complication in these patients affecting oral health status. Aim: This study was conducted to evaluate and assess the oral health status of newly diagnosed leukemic pediatric patients during induction phase and its correlation to outcome of induction therapy. Material Methods: Oral examinations was done in 33 children between the age group of 5-15 years with acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL) and acute myloblastic leukemia (AML), who were undergoing chemotherapy. Oral Hygiene Index- Simplified, (OHI-S) decayed missing filled teeth index (def/DMFT), Loe and Sillness index for gingiva, and complete blood count at first and fourth week of induction phase were recorded for each patient. The changes in the oral health status were analyzed with Wilcoxon signed rank test. Results: During an induction phase it was observed that level of OHI-S (P = 0.002), Loe and Sillness index (P = 0.003), def/DMFT index (P = 0.076), platelet count (P = 0.00) increased significantly and no significant difference was noted in hemoglobin (P = 0.4) and total leucocytes count (P = 0.11). Conclusion: It was observed that, although oral health status had significantly worsened, the induction outcome was not affected.
A prospective study on the attitude of post graduates in general pediatrics toward pediatric oncology subspeciality as a career
Authors: Thirugnanasambandam Ram Prakash , Latha Magatha Sneha , Moorthy Aravind , Kannan Lakshminarayanan , Paramasivam Venkataraman , Scott Julius Xavier
Published: June 2014

Objectives: The health care scenario in India is experiencing an increase in the number of children affected with cancer and the number of pediatric oncologists available to treat these children are few and the awareness of childhood cancer is decimally low. Hence, the purpose of this study was to determine the attitude of post-graduate students of general pediatrics towards childhood cancer and to assess their interest in pursuing pediatric oncology as a specialty in their carrier. Materials and Methods: The study was conducted among 188 post-graduates hailing from various Medical colleges all over South India who were attending a 2 day workshop at Chennai. The survey was a 10 point questionnaire pertaining to their previous training, competence, interest toward the field of hematooncology. The data were analyzed by SPSS 18.V software. Results: Among the post-graduates, 74.7% of them reported that they did not have a pediatric oncology unit in their institution. 63.3% reported that they never been posted in pediatric oncology clinical postings before. 62% were not interested in pursuing pediatric oncology as a sub-specialty at all. 45.3% felt that pediatric oncology was too depressing to take as a specialty. 46.7% felt that late diagnosis and referral was the main factor which contributed to the failure of effective treatment of childhood cancers. 52.7% had never attended a class on pediatric oncology. 61.3% felt that they did not have sufficient knowledge to suspect and refer a child with cancer. 92% felt that there was a need to improve pediatric oncology teaching in their curriculum. 56.7% felt that the best way to imprint awareness on childhood malignancies was to improve pediatric oncology teaching in their medical curriculum. Conclusion: The results show that majority of post-graduates in pediatrics were not interested in pursuing pediatric oncology as a sub-specialty. The main reasons may be lack of specialized Pediatric oncology units in the majority of the medical institutions, lack of opportunity of these post-graduates to attend clinical postings and theory classes. They thus lack sufficient information in this field and hence do not want to take up a career in pediatric oncology.
A rare case of translocation (12;22) (p13;Q) in Ewing′s sarcoma
Authors: Jahan S.K. Kousar , Mayanna Mangala Gowri , Kavitha B.L. , Patil Akkamahadevi , Kumari Prasanna
Published: June 2014

Cytogenetic or immunohistochemical studies are often required to differentiate Ewing′s sarcoma (ES) from other small round cell tumors. Herein we report a case of 13-year-old boy who presented with a large presacral lesion. Hemogram and biochemical parameters were normal except lactate dehydrogenase showing value of 96.40/IU/L, magnetic resonance imaging of the spine showed a large mass in presacral lesion (8 cm × 7 cm × 9 cm), with destruction of the sacrum (S2 S3 and S4) with interspinal extension. Bone scan showed multiple pelvic bone lesions, radiograph of chest, ultrasound of abdomen, pelvis and electrocardiogram were within normal limits. Bone marrow was not involved. Cells from the fine needle aspirate were cultured for short term using RPMI medium and karyotype obtained showed a t(12;22)(p12;q12) instead of the classic t(11;22). Diagnosis of ES was also confirmed by studies using immunohistochemistry for MIC2 which was positive, synaptophysin was inconclusive and leukocyte common antigen, desmin negative. This case provides evidence of the importance of chromosome 22, in the etiology of the disease.
Cryptosporidiosis causing severe persistent diarrhea in a patient with multiple myeloma: A Case report and brief review of literature
Authors: Tandon Nidhi , Gupta Sudeep
Published: June 2014

Cryptosporidiosis is a protozoal infection that leads to self-limited diarrheal disease in immunocompetent individuals and a more severe illness in immunocompromised patients especially those infected with the human immunodeficiency virus. Although patients with hematolymphoid malignancies can develop this infection, it is an uncommon cause of diarrhea in these patients. The patient was a 64-year-old woman, a known case of multiple myeloma for 17 years, who had been treated with multiple lines of chemotherapy earlier. She was being treated with lenalidomide plus dexamethasone for active myeloma at the time of this episode. She presented with profuse watery diarrhea of 15 days duration that was proven to be due to Cryptosporidium parvum on stool examination. The diarrheal illness resolved after treatment with nitazoxanide. Although uncommon, cryptosporidial infection should be suspected in patients with hematological malignancies who have persistent diarrhea. Stool examination with the modified acid-fast Kenyoun stain establishes the diagnosis in the majority of cases. Antiparasitic treatment is effective in controlling the infection.
Metastatic perivascular epithelioid cell tumor responding to mammalian target of rapamycin inhibition
Authors: Ghosh Indranil , Arun Indu , Sen Saugata , Mishra Lopamudra
Published: June 2014

Perivascular epithelioid cell tumors (PEComa) are a family of rare mesenchymal tumors composed of histologically and immunohistochemically distinctive perivascular epithelioid cells. Female genital tract and retroperitoneum are common sites of origin of PEComa-not otherwise specified. Diagnosis depends upon characteristic morphology and immunohistochemistry findings. Prognosis of unresectable or metastatic disease is poor. Responses to mammalian target of rapamycin (mTOR) inhibition are encouraging but mostly short-lived. We report a case of metastatic PEComa who responded to mTOR inhibition, albeit for a short duration. We also review the existing literature on mTOR inhibitors in PEComa.
On the detection of the solar signal in the tropical stratosphere
Authors: Chiodo G. , Marsh D. R. , Garcia-Herrera R. , Calvo N. , García J. A.
Published: June 2014

Abstract. We investigate the relative role of volcanic eruptions, El Niño–Southern Oscillation (ENSO), and the quasi-biennial oscillation (QBO) in the quasi-decadal signal in the tropical stratosphere with regard to temperature and ozone commonly attributed to the 11 yr solar cycle. For this purpose, we perform transient simulations with the Whole Atmosphere Community Climate Model forced from 1960 to 2004 with an 11 yr solar cycle in irradiance and different combinations of other forcings. An improved multiple linear regression technique is used to diagnose the 11 yr solar signal in the simulations. One set of simulations includes all observed forcings, and is thereby aimed at closely reproducing observations. Three idealized sets exclude ENSO variability, volcanic aerosol forcing, and QBO in tropical stratospheric winds, respectively. Differences in the derived solar response in the tropical stratosphere in the four sets quantify the impact of ENSO, volcanic events and the QBO in attributing quasi-decadal changes to the solar cycle in the model simulations. The novel regression approach shows that most of the apparent solar-induced lower-stratospheric temperature and ozone increase diagnosed in the simulations with all observed forcings is due to two major volcanic eruptions (i.e., El Chichón in 1982 and Mt. Pinatubo in 1991). This is caused by the alignment of these eruptions with periods of high solar activity. While it is feasible to detect a robust solar signal in the middle and upper tropical stratosphere, this is not the case in the tropical lower stratosphere, at least in a 45 yr simulation. The present results suggest that in the tropical lower stratosphere, the portion of decadal variability that can be unambiguously linked to the solar cycle may be smaller than previously thought.
Interpretation of freezing nucleation experiments: singular and stochastic; sites and surfaces
Authors: Vali G.
Published: June 2014

Abstract. Publications of recent years dealing with laboratory experiments of immersion freezing reveal uncertainties about the fundamentals of heterogeneous freezing nucleation. While it appears well accepted that there are two major factors that determine the process, namely fluctuations in the size and configuration of incipient embryos of the solid phase and the role of the substrate to aid embryo formation, views have been evolving about the relative importance of these two elements. The importance of specific surface sites is being established in a growing number of experiments and a number of approaches have been proposed to incorporate these results into model descriptions. Many of these models share a common conceptual basis yet diverge in the way random and deterministic factors are combined. The divergence can be traced to uncertainty about the permanence of nucleating sites, to the lack of detailed knowledge about what surface features constitute nucleating sites, and to the consequent need to rely on empirical or parametric formulas to define the population of sites of different effectiveness. Recent experiments and models, consistent with earlier work, demonstrate the existence and primary role of permanent nucleating sites and the continued need for empirically based formulations of heterogeneous freezing. In order to clarify some aspects of the processes controlling immersion freezing, the paper focuses on three identifiably separate but interrelated issues: (i) the combination of singular and stochastic factors, (ii) the role of specific surface sites, and (iii) the modeling of heterogeneous ice nucleation.
Comparison of IASI water vapor retrieval with H2O-Raman lidar in the frame of the Mediterranean HyMeX and ChArMEx programs
Authors: Chazette P. , Marnas F. , Totems J.
Published: June 2014

Abstract. The Infrared Atmospheric Sounding Interferometer (IASI) is a spaceborne passive sensor of new generation mainly dedicated to meteorological applications. Operational Level-2 products are available via the European Organisation for the Exploitation of Meteorological Satellites (EUMETSAT) since several years. In particular, vertical profiles of water vapor measurements are retrieved from infrared radiances at the global scale. Nevertheless, the robustness of such products has to be checked because only few validations have been reported. For this purpose, the field experiments that were held during the HyMeX and ChArMEx international programs are a very good opportunity. A H2O-Raman lidar was deployed on the Balearic Island of Menorca and operated continuously during ~6 and ~3 weeks during fall 2012 (Hydrological cycle in the Mediterranean eXperiment -HyMeX-) and summer 2013 (Chemistry-Aerosol Mediterranean Experiment -ChArMEx-), respectively. It measured simultaneously the water vapor mixing ratio and aerosol optical properties. This article does not aim to describe the IASI operational H2O inversion algorithm, but to compare the vertical profiles derived from IASI onboard MetOp-A and the ground-based lidar measurements to assess the reliability of the IASI operational product for the water vapor retrieval in both the lower and middle troposphere. The links between water vapor contents and both the aerosol vertical profiles and the air mass origins are also studied. About 30 simultaneous observations, performed during nighttime in cloud free conditions, have been considered. For altitudes ranging from 2 to 7 km, root mean square errors (correlation) of $\\sim 0.5 g kg−1 (~0.77) and ~1.1 g kg−1 (~0.72) are derived between the operational IASI product and the available lidar profiles during HyMeX and ChArMEx, respectively. The values of both root mean square error and correlation are meaningful and show that the operational Level-2 product of the IASI-derived vertical water vapor mixing ratio can be considered for meteorological and climatic applications, at least in the frame of field campaigns.