bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Awareness and current implementation of drug dosage adjustment by pharmacists in patients with chronic kidney disease in Japan: a web-based survey
Authors: Kondo Yuki , Ishitsuka Yoichi , Shigemori Eri , Irikura Mitsuru , Kadowaki Daisuke , Hirata Sumio , Maemura Takeshi , Irie Tetsumi
Published: December 2014

Background

The aims of this study were to evaluate the current awareness of and implementation by pharmacists in Japan of adjustment of drug dosage according to renal function (ADDR) in patients with chronic kidney disease (CKD) and to clarify the factors influencing implementation of ADDR by community pharmacists.

Methods

We conducted a web-based questionnaire of Japanese community and hospital pharmacists. Responders were compared by characteristics, rate of implementation of ADDR, experience with adverse drug events, pharmacist awareness of implementation of ADDR, and obstacles to ADDR implementation experienced by pharmacists. Additionally, the factors influencing the implementation of ADDR by community pharmacists were investigated by logistic regression analysis.

Results

Fewer community pharmacists had implemented ADDR than hospital pharmacists. The community pharmacists had less experience with adverse drug events caused by an inappropriate dosage than the hospital pharmacists, while the hospital pharmacists had encountered more severe adverse drug events than the community pharmacists. The community pharmacists had less awareness of ADDR implementation, and believed that problems in implementing ADDR were caused by a lack of information on the renal function of patients. In the logistic regression analysis, the factors influencing implementation of ADDR were “Routinely receiving prescriptions from nephrologists”, “Experience with adverse drug events caused by inappropriate dosage for CKD patients”, and “Awareness of the need for pharmacists to check the dosage of renally excreted drugs”; they did not include “Lack of information on patient renal function”.

Conclusions

This study indicates that fewer Japanese community pharmacists than hospital pharmacists implement ADDR and that implementation of ADDR by community pharmacists is hindered by their limited awareness of the importance of patient renal function. We advocate that many countermeasures be introduced to prevent CKD patients from experiencing adverse drug events caused by inappropriate dosage. Such countermeasures would include a training program to educate pharmacists about the impact of impaired renal function on dosage of drugs that are excreted by the kidneys.
Genome-wide screening and functional analysis identify a large number of long noncoding RNAs involved in the sexual reproduction of rice
Authors: Zhang Yu-Chan , Liao Jian-You , Li Ze-Yuan , Yu Yang , Zhang Jin-Ping , Li Quan-Feng , Qu Liang-Hu , Shu Wen-Sheng , Chen Yue-Qin
Published: December 2014

Background

Long noncoding RNAs (lncRNAs) play important roles in a wide range of biological processes in mammals and plants. However, the systematic examination of lncRNAs in plants lags behind that in mammals. Recently, lncRNAs have been identified in Arabidopsis and wheat; however, no systematic screening of potential lncRNAs has been reported for the rice genome.

Results

In this study, we perform whole transcriptome strand-specific RNA sequencing (ssRNA-seq) of samples from rice anthers, pistils, and seeds 5 days after pollination and from shoots 14 days after germination. Using these data, together with 40 available rice RNA-seq datasets, we systematically analyze rice lncRNAs and definitively identify lncRNAs that are involved in the reproductive process. The results show that rice lncRNAs have some different characteristics compared to those of Arabidopsis and mammals and are expressed in a highly tissue-specific or stage-specific manner. We further verify the functions of a set of lncRNAs that are preferentially expressed in reproductive stages and identify several lncRNAs as competing endogenous RNAs (ceRNAs), which sequester miR160 or miR164 in a type of target mimicry. More importantly, one lncRNA, XLOC_057324, is demonstrated to play a role in panicle development and fertility. We also develop a source of rice lncRNA-associated insertional mutants.

Conclusions

Genome-wide screening and functional analysis enabled the identification of a set of lncRNAs that are involved in the sexual reproduction of rice. The results also provide a source of lncRNAs and associated insertional mutants in rice.
Integrated analyses of DNA methylation and hydroxymethylation reveal tumor suppressive roles of ECM1, ATF5, and EOMESin human hepatocellular carcinoma
Authors: Gao Fei , Xia Yudong , Wang Junwen , Lin Zhilong , Ou Ying , Liu Xing , Liu Weilong , Zhou Boping , Luo Huijuan , Zhou Baojin , Wen Bo , Zhang Xiuqing , Huang Jian
Published: December 2014

Background

Differences in 5-hydroxymethylcytosine, 5hmC, distributions may complicate previous observations of abnormal cytosine methylation statuses that are used for the identification of new tumor suppressor gene candidates that are relevant to human hepatocarcinogenesis. The simultaneous detection of 5-methylcytosine and 5-hydroxymethylcytosine is likely to stimulate the discovery of aberrantly methylated genes with increased accuracy in human hepatocellular carcinoma.

Results

Here, we performed ultra-performance liquid chromatography/tandem mass spectrometry and single-base high-throughput sequencing, Hydroxymethylation and Methylation Sensitive Tag sequencing, HMST-seq, to synchronously measure these two modifications in human hepatocellular carcinoma samples. After identification of differentially methylated and hydroxymethylated genes in human hepatocellular carcinoma, we integrate DNA copy-number alterations, as determined using array-based comparative genomic hybridization data, with gene expression to identify genes that are potentially silenced by promoter hypermethylation.

Conclusions

We report a high enrichment of genes with epigenetic aberrations in cancer signaling pathways. Six genes were selected as tumor suppressor gene candidates, among which, ECM1, ATF5 and EOMES are confirmed via siRNA experiments to have potential anti-cancer functions.
Epigenetic modifications are associated with inter-species gene expression variation in primates
Authors: Zhou Xiang , Cain Carolyn E , Myrthil Marsha , Lewellen Noah , Michelini Katelyn , Davenport Emily R , Stephens Matthew , Pritchard Jonathan K , Gilad Yoav
Published: December 2014

Background

Changes in gene regulation have long been thought to play an important role in evolution and speciation, especially in primates. Over the past decade, comparative genomic studies have revealed extensive inter-species differences in gene expression levels, yet we know much less about the extent to which regulatory mechanisms differ between species.

Results

To begin addressing this gap, we perform a comparative epigenetic study in primate lymphoblastoid cell lines, to query the contribution of RNA polymerase II and four histone modifications, H3K4me1, H3K4me3, H3K27ac, and H3K27me3, to inter-species variation in gene expression levels. We find that inter-species differences in mark enrichment near transcription start sites are significantly more often associated with inter-species differences in the corresponding gene expression level than expected by chance alone. Interestingly, we also find that first-order interactions among the five marks, as well as chromatin states, do not markedly contribute to the degree of association between the marks and inter-species variation in gene expression levels, suggesting that the marginal effects of the five marks dominate this contribution.

Conclusions

Our observations suggest that epigenetic modifications are substantially associated with changes in gene expression levels among primates and may represent important molecular mechanisms in primate evolution.
Building resilience to earthquakes and landslides in Aizawl, India
Authors: Rodgers Janise , Tobin Thomas
Published: December 2014

Aizawl, India, faces a high-level risk from earthquakes and landslides. Rapid, poorly controlled growth has created a dense urban environment of seismically vulnerable concrete buildings. To address the complex and interconnected risk created by Aizawl's built environment, unstable geology, nascent regulatory setting, and geographic isolation, GeoHazards International (GHI) assembled a multidisciplinary team from India and the United States to work with local colleagues in Aizawl agencies to help develop a better understanding of Aizawl's earthquake and landslide risk and to implement specific, detailed measures to make the city safer.
Transferring technology for surface-wave testing and seismic site-response analysis in Haiti
Authors: Kalinski Michael E. , Jean-Louis Melinda , Lissade Herby
Published: December 2014

Haiti is one of the most impoverished nations in the world and is highly susceptible to earthquakes. An important part of seismic design is the measurement of the dynamic properties of soil and calculation of site-specific seismic site response. However, there is a capability gap in that geoscientists in Haiti might not be trained to carry out a proper analysis. A humanitarian project sponsored by the Society of Exploration Geophysicists Foundation program Geoscientists Without Borders was conducted to address that deficiency. The scope of the project included field geophysical seismic surface-wave testing at selected sites in Haiti, calculation of shear-wave velocity profiles, and calculation of seismic site response. A user's manual was written and given to a humanitarian engineering group active in Haiti along with the equipment used to perform field testing at the conclusion of the project. Efforts such as this enhance the self-sufficiency of Haiti with respect to seismic design, which ultimately will result in reduced loss of life during future earthquakes.
Application of Gabor deconvolution to the correction of nonstationarity for reasonable reflectivity estimations
Authors: Sun Xuekai , Sun Sam Zandong
Published: December 2014

Statistical white reflectivity, minimum-phase wavelets, and stationarity are regarded to be three major shortcomings in dealing with the Robinson convolution model. Modern reflectivity inversion methods (e.g., constrained reflectivity inversion) mainly attempt to reduce side effects of the first two assumptions, but most of them overlook the important fact that seismic signals are typically nonstationary. Numerical tests and practical applications have verified that nonstationarity does have great influence on reflectivity estimation and probably would result in misplaced positions or wrongly restored amplitudes for estimated reflectivity. Nonstationarity can be tackled from a perspective of hyperbolic smoothing in Gabor deconvolution. Specially, the energy relationship of hyperbolic strips in a log spectrum can be taken as a quantitative indicator in balancing nonstationarity and conditioning seismic traces to the assumption of unchanging wavelets. Applications to marine seismic data show that balancing nonstationarity finally helps to recover subtle reflectivity information and promotes better displays of geologic features of the subsurface.
Outstanding Reviewers
Authors: Slob Evert
Published: December 2014

The 2013–2015 Geophysics Editorial Board has been working for one year now. My team of editors works with reviewers and authors to continue the tradition of providing a fair, professional, and timely review process. With the peer-review process, we strive for high-quality published papers. The authors, reviewers, and editors are all crucially important in keeping Geophysics at the top of the applied-geophysics journals. Reviewers are not often visible, but we rely on them heavily with the high number of submitted articles we receive each year. I am happy to recognize some of our excellent reviewers here. These nominated reviewers are all candidates for the Reviewer of the Year recognition.
Reviews
Authors: Avakian Bob
Published: December 2014

Essential Maths for Geoscientists: An Introduction, by P. I. Palmer, ISBN 978-0-470-97193-2 (cloth), 978-0-470-97194-9 (paper), 2014, John Wiley and Sons, 216 pp., US $99.95 (e-book available).
A look ahead brings appreciation of the past
Authors: Posey Chris
Published: December 2014

Each year, the SEG Annual Meeting hosts a recurring Special Session entitled “Recent Advances and the Road Ahead.” As the title would suggest, this special session provides an opportunity for members of the geosciences community to come together and look back over the past months, celebrating new models, research, inventions, and discoveries that have come about that year. It also directs attendees forward with an optimistic look at exciting things to come. Appropriately taking a cue from SEG Denver 2014, whose doors closed not even a week previous to the writing of this article, this writer will now initiate a journey of both reminiscence and anticipation with regard to some of the online initiatives of SEG.
Sentinel Node Biopsy After Neoadjuvant Chemotherapy in Biopsy-Proven Node-Positive Breast Cancer: The SN FNAC Study
Authors: Boileau Jean-Francois , Poirier Brigitte , Basik Mark , Holloway Claire M.B. , Gaboury Louis , Sideris Lucas , Meterissian Sarkis , Arnaout Angel , Brackstone Muriel , McCready David R. , Karp Stephen E. , Trop Isabelle , Lisbona Andre , Wright Frances C. , Younan Rami J. , Provencher Louise , Patocskai Erica , Omeroglu Atilla , Robidoux Andre
Published: December 2014

Purpose

An increasing proportion of patients (> 30%) with node-positive breast cancer will obtain an axillary pathologic complete response after neoadjuvant chemotherapy (NAC). If sentinel node (SN) biopsy (SNB) is accurate in this setting, completion node dissection (CND) morbidity could be avoided.

Patients and Methods

In the prospective multicentric SN FNAC study, patients with biopsy-proven node-positive breast cancer (T0-3, N1-2) underwent both SNB and CND. Immunohistochemistry (IHC) use was mandatory, and SN metastases of any size, including isolated tumor cells (ypN0[i+], ≤ 0.2 mm), were considered positive. The optimal SNB identification rate (IR) ≥ 90% and false-negative rate (FNR) ≤ 10% were predetermined.

Results

From March 2009 to December 2012, 153 patients were accrued to the study. The SNB IR was 87.6% (127 of 145; 95% CI, 82.2% to 93.0%), and the FNR was 8.4% (seven of 83; 95% CI, 2.4% to 14.4%). If SN ypN0(i+)s had been considered negative, the FNR would have increased to 13.3% (11 of 83; 95% CI, 6.0% to 20.6%). There was no correlation between size of SN metastases and rate of positive non-SNs. Using this method, 30.3% of patients could potentially avoid CND.

Conclusion

In biopsy-proven node-positive breast cancer after NAC, a low SNB FNR (8.4%) can be achieved with mandatory use of IHC. SN metastases of any size should be considered positive. The SNB IR was 87.6%, and in the presence of a technical failure, axillary node dissection should be performed. We recommend that SN evaluation with IHC be further evaluated before being included in future guidelines on the use of SNB after NAC in this setting.
Inherited Mutations in 17 Breast Cancer Susceptibility Genes Among a Large Triple-Negative Breast Cancer Cohort Unselected for Family History of Breast Cancer
Authors: Couch Fergus J. , Hart Steven N. , Sharma Priyanka , Toland Amanda Ewart , Wang Xianshu , Miron Penelope , Olson Janet E. , Godwin Andrew K. , Pankratz V. Shane , Olswold Curtis , Slettedahl Seth , Hallberg Emily , Guidugli Lucia , Davila Jaime I. , Beckmann Matthias W. , Janni Wolfgang , Rack Brigitte , Ekici Arif B. , Slamon Dennis J. , Konstantopoulou Irene , Fostira Florentia , Vratimos Athanassios , Fountzilas George , Pelttari Liisa M. , Tapper William J. , Durcan Lorraine , Cross Simon S. , Pilarski Robert , Shapiro Charles L. , Klemp Jennifer , Yao Song , Garber Judy , Cox Angela , Brauch Hiltrud , Ambrosone Christine , Nevanlinna Heli , Yannoukakos Drakoulis , Slager Susan L. , Vachon Celine M. , Eccles Diana M. , Fasching Peter A.
Published: December 2014

Purpose

Recent advances in DNA sequencing have led to the development of breast cancer susceptibility gene panels for germline genetic testing of patients. We assessed the frequency of mutations in 17 predisposition genes, including BRCA1 and BRCA2, in a large cohort of patients with triple-negative breast cancer (TNBC) unselected for family history of breast or ovarian cancer to determine the utility of germline genetic testing for those with TNBC.

Patients and Methods

Patients with TNBC (N = 1,824) unselected for family history of breast or ovarian cancer were recruited through 12 studies, and germline DNA was sequenced to identify mutations.

Results

Deleterious mutations were identified in 14.6% of all patients. Of these, 11.2% had mutations in the BRCA1 (8.5%) and BRCA2 (2.7%) genes. Deleterious mutations in 15 other predisposition genes were detected in 3.7% of patients, with the majority observed in genes involved in homologous recombination, including PALB2 (1.2%) and BARD1, RAD51D, RAD51C, and BRIP1 (0.3% to 0.5%). Patients with TNBC with mutations were diagnosed at an earlier age (P < .001) and had higher-grade tumors (P = .01) than those without mutations.

Conclusion

Deleterious mutations in predisposition genes are present at high frequency in patients with TNBC unselected for family history of cancer. Mutation prevalence estimates suggest that patients with TNBC, regardless of age at diagnosis or family history of cancer, should be considered for germline genetic testing of BRCA1 and BRCA2. Although mutations in other predisposition genes are observed among patients with TNBC, better cancer risk estimates are needed before these mutations are used for clinical risk assessment in relatives.
Nivolumab for Metastatic Renal Cell Carcinoma: Results of a Randomized Phase II Trial
Authors: Motzer Robert J. , Rini Brian I. , McDermott David F. , Redman Bruce G. , Kuzel Timothy M. , Harrison Michael R. , Vaishampayan Ulka N. , Drabkin Harry A. , George Saby , Logan Theodore F. , Margolin Kim A. , Plimack Elizabeth R. , Lambert Alexandre M. , Waxman Ian M. , Hammers Hans J.
Published: December 2014

Purpose

Nivolumab is a fully human immunoglobulin G4 programmed death–1 immune checkpoint inhibitor antibody that restores T-cell immune activity. This phase II trial assessed the antitumor activity, dose-response relationship, and safety of nivolumab in patients with metastatic renal cell carcinoma (mRCC).

Patients and Methods

Patients with clear-cell mRCC previously treated with agents targeting the vascular endothelial growth factor pathway were randomly assigned (blinded ratio of 1:1:1) to nivolumab 0.3, 2, or 10 mg/kg intravenously once every 3 weeks. The primary objective was to evaluate the dose-response relationship as measured by progression-free survival (PFS); secondary end points included objective response rate (ORR), overall survival (OS), and safety.

Results

A total of 168 patients were randomly assigned to the nivolumab 0.3- (n = 60), 2- (n = 54), and 10-mg/kg (n = 54) cohorts. One hundred eighteen patients (70%) had received more than one prior systemic regimen. Median PFS was 2.7, 4.0, and 4.2 months, respectively (P = .9). Respective ORRs were 20%, 22%, and 20%. Median OS was 18.2 months (80% CI, 16.2 to 24.0 months), 25.5 months (80% CI, 19.8 to 28.8 months), and 24.7 months (80% CI, 15.3 to 26.0 months), respectively. The most common treatment-related adverse event (AE) was fatigue (24%, 22%, and 35%, respectively). Nineteen patients (11%) experienced grade 3 to 4 treatment-related AEs.

Conclusion

Nivolumab demonstrated antitumor activity with a manageable safety profile across the three doses studied in mRCC. No dose-response relationship was detected as measured by PFS. These efficacy and safety results in mRCC support study in the phase III setting.
Relaxin Peptide Hormones Are Protective During the Early Stages of Ischemic Stroke in Male Rats
Authors: Bergeron Lindsay H. , Willcox Jordan M. , Alibhai Faisal J. , Connell Barry J. , Saleh Tarek M. , Wilson Brian C. , Summerlee Alastair J. S.
Published: December 2014

The pregnancy hormone relaxin protects tissue from ischemic damage. The ability of relaxin-3, a relaxin paralog, to do so has not been explored. The cerebral expression levels of these peptides and their receptors make them logical targets for study in the ischemic brain. We assessed relaxin peptide-mediated protection, relative relaxin family peptide receptor (RXFP) involvement, and protective mechanisms. Sprague-Dawley rats receiving permanent (pMCAO) or transient middle cerebral artery occlusions (tMCAO) were treated with relaxin peptides, and brains were collected for infarct analysis. Activation of the endothelial nitric oxide synthase pathway was evaluated as a potential protective mechanism. Primary cortical rat astrocytes were exposed to oxygen glucose deprivation and treated with relaxin peptides, and viability was examined. Receptor involvement was explored using RXFP3 antagonist or agonist treatment and real-time PCR. Relaxin and relaxin-3 reduced infarct size after pMCAO. Both peptides activated endothelial nitric oxide synthase. Because relaxin-3 has not previously been associated with this pathway and displays promiscuous RXFP binding, we explored the receptor contribution. Expression of rxfp1 was greater than that of rxfp3 in rat brain, although peptide binding at either receptor resulted in similar overall protection after pMCAO. Only RXFP3 activation reduced infarct size after tMCAO. In astrocytes, rxfp3 gene expression was greater than that of rxfp1. Selective activation of RXFP3 maintained astrocyte viability after oxygen glucose deprivation. Relaxin peptides are protective during the early stages of ischemic stroke. Differential responses among treatments and models suggest that RXFP1 and RXFP3 initiate different protective mechanisms. This preliminary work is a pivotal first step in identifying the clinical implications of relaxin peptides in ischemic stroke.
Surviving the Seventeenth Century: Graeme Mortimer Evelyn’s Call and Responses: The Odyssey of the Moor
Authors: Hynes NJ
Published: December 2014

Bust of a Moor, by John Van Nost, is one of the oldest works to be continuously held by the Royal Collection at Kensington Palace in London. Commissioned around 1689, its gleaming layers of colored marble surprise and delight with their careful detail and blatant bling. But the Moor’s name is not known: a caption on the Royal Collection’s website simply states that “Black servants were frequently found in noble households” and that “this figure has traditionally been identified as a favorite personal servant of William III.” In his elegant and moving installation Call and Responses: the Odyssey of the Moor, artist Graeme Mortimer Evelyn worked to restore the Moor’s lost individuality. Using simple yet effective means—including a nine-foot steel birdcage and a hand-carved narrative tile sequence—he challenged the viewer to imagine this man’s history and contemplate his subjective position. Evelyn’s ability to mix the contemporary with the historical in such acts of reconstructive storytelling, to respond sensitively yet provocatively to built environments, is impressive. It is time for someone to give him a public, possibly art-specific site in London or New York, where a wider audience could have access to his work.
Glyphs: Acts of Inscription: Social Activism and the Politics of the Archive
Authors: Van Hoesen Brett M.
Published: December 2014

This essay reviews the compelling recent exhibition Glyphs: Acts of Inscription, hosted by the Pitzer College Art Galleries in Claremont, California, co-curated by Renée Mussai, curator and head of archive at Autograph ABP in London, and Ruti Talmor, assistant professor of media studies at Pitzer College. The show, which ran from September 19 to December 5, 2013, included the work of nine international artists from Africa, Europe, and the United States, including John Akomfrah, Cheryl Dunye, Rotimi Fani-Kayode, Lyle Ashton Harris, Zanele Muholi, Mwangi Hutter, Andrew Putter, Mickalene Thomas, and Carrie Mae Weems. As the title of the exhibition implies, the goal was to interrogate how “identities are constituted through acts of inscription—real or imagined—into the visual archives that constitute history, popular iconographies, and artistic canons,” and to further probe the “consequences of such acts on the poetic and political dimensions of representation, difference, and visibility.” This essay examines the role that social activism plays in the work of all nine contributing artists and the underlying critique of the archive as a politicized framework.
Applied probability before 1964, and after 2014
Authors: Kingman J. F. C.
Published: December 2014

This paper is an edited version of a talk given in Sheffield as part of the celebration of fifty years of the Applied Probability Trust and its journals. I sought to sketch the background to the Trust's formation in the development of different applications of probability during the previous century, and to draw lessons for the future of the discipline and therefore of its journals.
The naming game in language dynamics revisited
Authors: Lanchier Nicolas
Published: December 2014

In this article we study a biased version of the naming game in which players are located on a connected graph and interact through successive conversations in order to select a common name for a given object. Initially, all the players use the same word B except for one bilingual individual who also uses word A. Both words are attributed a fitness, which measures how often players speak depending on the words they use and how often each word is spoken by bilingual individuals. The limiting behavior depends on a single parameter, ϕ, denoting the ratio of the fitness of word A to the fitness of word B. The main objective is to determine whether word A can invade the system and become the new linguistic convention. From the point of view of the mean-field approximation, invasion of word A is successful if and only if ϕ > 3, a result that we also prove for the process on complete graphs relying on the optimal stopping theorem for supermartingales and random walk estimates. In contrast, for the process on the one-dimensional lattice, word A can invade the system whenever ϕ > 1.053, indicating that the probability of invasion and the critical value for ϕ strongly depend on the degree of the graph. The system on regular lattices in higher dimensions is also studied by comparing the process with percolation models.
Stackelberg equilibria in a continuous-time vertical contracting model with uncertain demand and delayed information
Authors: Øksendal Bernt , Sandal Leif , Ubøe Jan
Published: December 2014

We consider explicit formulae for equilibrium prices in a continuous-time vertical contracting model. A manufacturer sells goods to a retailer, and the objective of both parties is to maximize expected profits. Demand is an Itô-Lévy process, and to increase realism, information is delayed. We provide complete existence and uniqueness proofs for a series of special cases, including geometric Brownian motion and the Ornstein-Uhlenbeck process, both with time-variable coefficients. Moreover, explicit solution formulae are given, so these results are operational. An interesting finding is that information that is more precise may be a considerable disadvantage for the retailer.
Two-node fluid network with a heavy-tailed random input: the strong stability case
Authors: Foss Sergey , Miyazawa Masakiyo
Published: December 2014

We consider a two-node fluid network with batch arrivals of random size having a heavy-tailed distribution. We are interested in the tail asymptotics for the stationary distribution of a two-dimensional workload process. Tail asymptotics have been well studied for two-dimensional reflecting processes where jumps have either a bounded or an unbounded light-tailed distribution. However, the presence of heavy tails totally changes these asymptotics. Here we focus on the case ofstrong stabilitywhere both nodes release fluid at sufficiently high speeds to minimise their mutual influence. We show that, as in the one-dimensional case, big jumps provide the main cause for workloads to become large, but now they can have multidimensional features. We first find the weak tail asymptotics of an arbitrary directional marginal of the stationary distribution at Poisson arrival epochs. In this analysis, decomposition formulae for the stationary distribution play a key role. Then we employ sample-path arguments to find the exact tail asymptotics of a directional marginal at renewal arrival epochs assuming one-dimensional batch arrivals.
The extended hypergeometric class of Lévy processes
Authors: Kyprianou A. E. , Pardo J. C. , Watson A. R.
Published: December 2014

We review and extend the class of hypergeometric Lévy processes explored in Kuznetsov and Pardo (2013) with a view to computing fluctuation identities related to stable processes. We give the Wiener-Hopf factorisation of a process in the extended class, characterise its exponential functional, and give three concrete examples arising from transformations of stable processes.
Embryonic maturation of epidermal Merkel cells is controlled by a redundant transcription factor network
Authors: Perdigoto Carolina N. , Bardot Evan S. , Valdes Victor J. , Santoriello Francis J. , Ezhkova Elena
Published: December 2014

Merkel cell–neurite complexes are located in touch-sensitive areas of the mammalian skin and are involved in recognition of the texture and shape of objects. Merkel cells are essential for these tactile discriminations, as they generate action potentials in response to touch stimuli and induce the firing of innervating afferent nerves. It has been shown that Merkel cells originate from epidermal stem cells, but the cellular and molecular mechanisms of their development are largely unknown. In this study, we analyzed Merkel cell differentiation during development and found that it is a temporally regulated maturation process characterized by a sequential activation of Merkel cell-specific genes. We uncovered key transcription factors controlling this process and showed that the transcription factor Atoh1 is required for initial Merkel cell specification. The subsequent maturation steps of Merkel cell differentiation are controlled by cooperative function of the transcription factors Sox2 and Isl1, which physically interact and work to sustain Atoh1 expression. These findings reveal the presence of a robust transcriptional network required to produce functional Merkel cells that are required for tactile discrimination.
Slow progression of exudative age related macular degeneration associated with hypertrophy of the retinal pigment epithelium
Authors: Stern Jeffrey , Eveleth David , Masula Jennifer , Temple Sally
Published: December 2014

Rationale:  Choroidal neovascular (CNV) lesions in younger patients are often accompanied by the appearance of a surrounding ring of pigment that is associated with disease regression or slowed disease progression. In older patients with age-related macular degeneration (AMD), however, hypertrophy of the retinal pigment epithelium (RPE) is known to occur but has not previously been reported to be associated with CNV regression. This report describes the clinical course of a case series of AMD patients with pigment hypertrophy adjacent to CNV associated with stabilization of the CNV lesion.

Methods: A retrospective analysis of exudative AMD patients seen by a single retina specialist over a 7-year period.

Results: Retrospective analysis of 955 exudative AMD patients revealed pigment hypertrophy associated with CNV in 33 patients. A ring of pigment surrounded CNV in 6 of these. Three representative patients are presented to illustrate the decrease in macular edema, reduced fluorescein leakage and slowed CNV progression that was associated with a pigment ring around CNV in AMD. Pigment hypertrophy was associated with blocked fluorescein leakage and exudative AMD patients with a complete pigment ring maintained stable visual acuity, macular edema, fluorescein leakage and CNV lesion size without treatment for intervals of up to 21 months. 

Conclusion:  We report slowed disease progression in AMD patients who develop pigment around CNV. The slow rate of disease progression in the AMD patient subgroup having a pigment ring is a factor to consider in determining the treatment interval for exudative AMD patients.
Prospects of Polytechnic Principle of Learning in Technological Training of Pupils of 5-7 Grades
Authors: Терентьев  , Terentyev Sergey
Published: December 2014

This article discusses the problem of training future

personnel forScience and Engineering. The solution of this problem

is important for modern education. Answers to the questions

posed by the problem can be found in the polytechnic education.

Identification of aims of polytechnic education and learning is

one of the goals of this work.

Currently there is no unified acknowledged concept of polytech -

nic education. The experimental part of this work demonstrates

the application of the principle of polytechnic education at technology

lessons for grades 5-7. The outcome of the experiment was

the data of interview and questionnaire. From this data, we can

speak about the effectiveness of the principle of polytechnic education

in technological training of students. Most effectively

polytechnic principle of learning has proved itself duringapplication

of problem and project methods. Thus, we can speak about

the relevance of its use in the construction of a modern lesson

content.
Skills Development and Retraining by Means of Distance Learning Technologies
Authors: Лабутин  , Labutin V.
Published: December 2014

This article discusses some of the key aspects of the organization

of additional education with the use of distance learning

technologies of workers of pedagogical field.

This article is based on the experience of organization of skills

development and retraining of teachers and administrators of schools

of the Moscow region.

The paper outlines the key aims and objectives of the application

of distance learning technology in the organization of advanced

education. The author notes the need to develop a special educational

environment and discloses conditions of the organization of

work of students, teachers and curriculum developers. Functional

units of the educational institutions of additional professional

education and its regional offices are reviewed.

The most effective forms of training activities in terms of information-

educational environment are outlined.
Modern Educational Pedagogical Technologies as a Factor of Improving Quality of Education
Authors: Горских  , Gorskikh E.
Published: December 2014

The learning process is a process of management, i.e.

impact on educational system, organization of knowledge. For its

successful implementation teaching science develops models to

promote good governance in educational systems. These include

special methods (techniques) and training technologies. The paper

presents educational technologies as a factor of improving quality

of education in general education and particularly in primary school.
Health Saving Technologies in Education
Authors: Меркулова  , Merkulova N.
Published: December 2014

Health saving technologies in education should provide

the ability to save the health of students during their training at

school, form the necessary knowledge and skills to keep healthy

lifestyles and teach to use this knowledge in their daily lives.
CALCULATION OF THERMAL AND THERMOMECHANICAL EFFECTS FOR CHIPS AND TRANSISTORS
Authors: Назаренко  , Nazarenko M. , Анциферова  , Antsiferova V. , Зольников  , Zolnikov Vladimir
Published: December 2014

The paper presents the numerical values of the redistribution of temperature for typical structures of chips and transistors. Determined that the transistors can be a temporary loss of working capacity
LF SIGNAL PROCESSING FOR INTELLECTUAL SOFTWARE SIMULATORS WITH USING LINEAR FILTERS AND DISCRETE TIME
Authors: Табаков  , Tabakov Yu. , Лавлинский  , Lavlinskiy V. , Бибиков  , Bibikov D.
Published: December 2014

Developed models and algorithms for the analysis and processing of LF signals on the basis of a linear discrete-time filter that minimize various interference and noise in the LF signal
Yaroslavl area regional tourist product: media information and consumer opinion
Authors: Кривошеева Татьяна , Krivosheeva Tatiana
Published: December 2014

The article contents the brief results of an Yaroslavl area regional tourist product study at the media and similar sources informing position, it’s perception of potential and real consumers. The research was carried out in two directions: a publications content analysis and Internet users pool.

According to the tourist service consumers, the purposes of content analysis was to create the Yaroslavl region sites and collective accommodation facilities rating, as well as to determinate the main factors of tourism development restraining and the favorable perception of the Yaroslavl region as a tourist area reducing

Web-pool was aimed at determining the tourist trips frequency, including the Russian Federation territory; identifying consumer preferences by type of recreation; identify the most popular tourist interest areas for different age groups; identification of the most popular information on tour objects sources; determination the reasons of consumers choice of one or another travel company; consumer requirements for infrastructural components of tourism products definition. The special attention was paid to the issues: what is laid in the basis of various age categories tourists experience formation.

The article has the Yaroslavl region tourism development strategy prospects, in accordance with the social-economic development strategy/ More it contents the proposals on the regional tourism service system sphere formation.
Types of control systems in tourism
Authors: Тхагапсов Ахмед , Tkhagapsov Akhmed
Published: December 2014

The tourism effective management system creating is one of the most urgent tourism development problems. The tourism sphere scientific study as well as the factors affecting on its operation and development management is an important part of the condition and quality of social life study. In connection with the tourism development in different regions of the world, including in Russia, the interest in finding effectively management ways is increasing, at the one hand, from the tourist organizations management, and at the other hand, from the public authorities. It allows us to identify and to avoid the tourist infrastructure lacks, to increase the tourist regions fame and recognition, to put in order the tourist market. One of the most important functions in tourist management is tourist region marketing. The article describes the features of control systems in tourism. Moreover, it describes the importance of tourism and its positioning, effective management methods. State tourism management faces with the challenge of evaluating the effectiveness of this activity. The federal and regional programs set the economic indicators expected results. The social indicators tourism developing problem requires the science basis and practice technology implementation. In this article it is proved the growing role of management system as a tourism developing and functioning factor, as well as the managing system as a mechanism of management effectiveness providing. The article contents the functions analysis, which are performed by subjects of external management (public authorities), as well as by subjects of internal management (professional management and self-management at the producer level tourist services), and self-management customers. Based on communications systems and management decision-making, in the article are underlined three types of control systems in tourism: centralized, partially decentralized, decentralized.

Also it is proved the partly- decentralized management system has to be the most acceptable for the modern Russian tourism.
The Yaroslavl regions transport infrastructure possibilities evaluation for motor-car tourism
Authors: Гладская Инна , Gladskaya Inna , Ульянченко Людмила , Ulyanchenko Lyudmila
Published: December 2014

The article has a Yaroslavl region transport infrastructure study and evaluation. The authors regarded such transport infrastructure aspects, as the presence and composition of messages between the Yaroslavl region and neighboring regions, studied the availability, quality of roads of federal, regional and local importance, including road considered by category, traffic, etc parameters. The freight and passenger traffic on the railway and road transport volumes are presented as a comparison. The article has also the analysis of the cash rolling stock vehicles. As one of the transport security aspects is studied the road accidents and connected with it death dynamics. For Road Trips highways fitness evaluation had been taken an 11 Yaroslavl region companies pool on a range of issues, including the presence and transport infrastructure level and roadside service on the main tourist routes. In addition, were presented the federal highway M8 Holmogory from Moscow to Yaroslavl (of one or two ways directions) some audit service results. The article contents the research results, based on them, were concluded the main findings about the potentials and restrictions on the motor-car tourism as a most perspective one for the Central Federal District region. In general, the authors concluded the inadequate transport system developing in the Yaroslavl region. It is, of cause, the limiting factor. But, cause the transport system special program existing, the region authority is interesting in this tourism type developing.
Genesis and modern methods for defining customization
Authors: Вапнярская Ольга , Vapnyarskaya Olga
Published: December 2014

An object of science discussions during more then 30 years was a changing, from mass production, gross modified products series to the manufacture of individual or small modified products series. It has been widely implemented in practice. This changing and it’s realization means amount were called “customization”. Customization was a subject of a lot of science works in Russia and abroad. However, in spite of it, the customization methods are made a good use by big and small companies. The consulting companies are offering the special projects. But till now there is no any common method of customization essence main point of determination. Till now there is no one modern company managing conception. The article tells us about the science methods generalization to the customization interpretation. The science customization representation in Russia and abroad was studied by the author. So, it was offered to distinguish 2 main methods to the customization essence and it was created a refined customization definition. It is shown how the customization of the elements of marketing activity becomes an alternative and / or complementary marketing concepts, determine the formation of modern business processes and the choice of production technologies and services. The article contents the information, connected with the types of customization generalized classification.
To found or not to found? That is the question!
Authors: Bondoni Davide
Published: December 2014

Aim of this paper is to confute two views, the first about Schröder’s presumptive foundationalism, according to he founded mathematics on the calculus of relatives; the second one maintaining that Schröder only in his last years (from 1890 onwards) focused on an universal and symbolic language (by him called pasigraphy). We will argue that, on the one hand Schröder considered the problem of founding mathematics already solved by Dedekind, limiting himself in a mere translation of the Chain Theory in the language of the relatives. On the other hand, we will show that Schröder’s pasigraphy was connaturate to himself and that it roots in his very childhood and in his love for foreign languages.
The impact of World War I on asylums in the UK
Authors: Devine Judith , Wright Philip Barton
Published: December 2014

The First World War (1914–18) was a period of dramatic and rapid change for both staff and patients in asylums across the UK. Many British asylums were requisitioned by the army from 1915 for use as wartime hospitals, leading to mass evacuation of over 10,000 patients. Using contemporary resources, this article will review the impact of this and other significant changes that took place in wartime, which included variations in working practices, staff shortages, food rationing and a significant rise in the asylum death rate. Contributing factors will be considered with analysis and discussion of eye-witness, historical, documentary, parliamentary and meteorological evidence.
A social inclusion and recovery approach in a high-secure service
Authors: Ayres Joe , Woods John , Carthy John , Saksena Laura
Published: December 2014

This article describes the introduction and development of reading groups to support the continuing implementation of recovery focused approaches and socially inclusive practice in a high-secure hospital.
Effect of Hormesis in Food
Authors: Kim Hye Won , Cho Yong-Jin , Gil Bogim
Published: December 2014

The term hormesis is defined as stimulation by low doses of any potentially harmful agent. In the food industry, many attempts were made to apply hormeric phenomena to the process of improving food storage or increasing functional molecules in food. In this study, we reviewed the results of hormetic treatment including pressure, ionizing radiation, ultraviolet, heat and atmosphere modification from a variety of fruits and vegetables. The hormetic effects were quite diverse depending on the kind of food, cultivar and experimental environment. It was therefore difficult to derive the exact and consistent hormetic influences. Nonetheless, it is significant that this study is the first attempt to document the impact of various hormetic treatments on food.
Antioxidant Activity and Quality Characteristics of Cookies Prepared with Colored Potato (Ja-young) Flour
Authors: Jung Hwa Bin , Kim Ji A , Pan Cheol Ho , Yoon Won Byong
Published: December 2014

This study was conducted to investigate the quality characteristics of cookies prepared with colored potato (Jayoung) flour having high antioxidant activity. Total phenol, color difference, browning index, textural properties and sensory properties of the cookies were evaluated. Total phenols increased with increasing Ja-young flour contents as well as baking time. In addition, the browning index (BI) increased with increasing proportions of Ja-young flour and baking time. The BI curves were fitted to three different kinetic models: zero order, Weibull, and logistic model. The reaction rate constant, RMSE and R-square parameters were estimated. The logistic model was an appropriate model for describing the browning of cookies with Ja-young flour by baking time based on RMSE and R-square. The color difference decreased significantly as the proportion of Ja-young flour in the blends and baking time increased. The hardness of cookies increased with increasing Ja-young flour in the blends up to 13 minutes of baking. These results suggest that Ja-young flour is a suitable ingredient to develop cookies with high antioxidant activity and novel texture.