bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Évolution de la demande sociale de sport et remise en cause de la compétition
Authors: Chaix Pierre , Chavinier-Réla Sabine
Published: February 2017

Sport-spectacle et pratique sportive sont historiquement considérés comme les deux parties d’un tout, entretenant, naturellement, des liens étroits et multiples. Mais, la pyramide sportive au sein de laquelle ces liens s’expriment traditionnellement vacille depuis quelques décennies : la pratique ne se fait plus systématiquement dans les associations sportives affiliées aux fédérations nationales ; l’accès au sport de haut niveau est de plus en plus pensé sous forme de « tuyau » et de « sur-mesure » ; le sport professionnel est géré dans des sociétés sportives ; des compétitions se développent hors du giron fédéral ; etc. Cette évolution sociétale est-elle de nature à menacer le spectacle sportif ? Nous tenterons de répondre à cette question au travers de deux études de cas. La première s’intéressera aux grands évènements sportifs en vérifiant si l’accueil de telles manifestations favorise effectivement la pratique sportive du plus grand nombre. La seconde s’interrogera sur les corrélations entre le nombre de pratiquants en club d’une discipline (licenciés) et le nombre de spectateurs / téléspectateurs.
Indicateurs de progrès sociétal, outils de connaissance et d’action
Authors: Brunet Sébastien , Donnay Philippe , Gouzée Nadine , Reginster Isabelle , Ruyters Christine , Zuinen Natacha
Published: February 2017

L’article donne une vue d’ensemble des contributions à la conférence sur les indicateurs de progrès sociétal organisée en décembre 2014 par l’IWEPS et le BFP ainsi que de ses principaux enseignements. La mise en œuvre des décisions politiques pionnières en cette matière en Wallonie et au niveau fédéral belge est située dans le cadre des développements en cours des projets internationaux concernant les indicateurs. L’article montre la richesse et la diversité de la dynamique régionale, nationale et internationale alimentant le débat sur les meilleures façons de mesurer le progrès des sociétés, ainsi que les efforts de convergence en cours. Ces balises permettent notamment de comprendre les processus de décision, de construction et d’usage déterminant la conception des indicateurs complémentaires au PIB et des indicateurs de développement durable.
Indicateurs complémentaires au PIB en Wallonie
Authors: Reginster Isabelle , Ruyters Christine
Published: February 2017

Cet article présente les orientations des travaux menés par l’IWEPS pour développer progressivement un système d’indicateurs complémentaires au PIB, apte à refléter les priorités sociétales actuelles et à évaluer les progrès réalisés par la société wallonne pour assurer le bien-être de tous dans un cadre de développement durable. Le processus de construction et d’analyse des trois premiers indicateurs élaborés par l’IWEPS en 2014 et 2015, pour répondre à la décision du Gouvernement wallon, sont expliqués : (1) l’indice de situation sociale wallon (ISS), (2) l’indice des conditions de bien-être (ICBE) et (3) l’empreinte écologique (EE) et la biocapacité (BC) de la Wallonie. Les indicateurs complémentaires au PIB offrent des repères synthétiques sur les ressources et les inégalités sociales, économiques et environnementales. Ils questionnent également les disparités et dynamiques territoriales. Ces nouveaux repères sont mobilisables et appropriables dès aujourd’hui, à la fois pour les décideurs politiques, les collectivités et les citoyens.
Indicateurs de développement durable en Wallonie
Authors: Bertrand Gilles , Heylen Fanny , Van Gameren Valentine , Zuinen Natacha
Published: February 2017

Cette contribution traite du système d’indicateurs de développement durable développé en Wallonie. La première partie de l’article compare différents systèmes d’indicateurs étrangers qui ont inspiré les travaux wallons. La deuxième partie décrit les premiers exercices d’élaboration d’indicateurs de développement durable en Wallonie. La troisième partie de la contribution présente pour sa part les indicateurs développés dans le cadre de la préparation de la deuxième stratégie wallonne de développement durable. L’article se conclut par quelques perspectives d’amélioration et quelques enjeux futurs.
Implementation of the Act on “GDP and beyond” Indicators and Evaluation of the Progress towards Sustainable Development Objectives
Authors: Delbaere Patricia , Pauwels Johan
Published: February 2017

L’article met d’abord l’accent sur les indicateurs de développement durable. Il explique la méthode permettant d’évaluer l’évolution de ces indicateurs vers des objectifs de développement durable et présente les résultats de cette évaluation à l’aide du Bilan 2015 des indicateurs de développement durable. Ce tableau de bord de 25 indicateurs clés mesure l’évolution vers un développement durable de la Belgique fédérale depuis 1992. L’article présente également le cadre juridique d’une nouvelle mission du Bureau fédéral du Plan (BFP) : développer un ensemble d’indicateurs complémentaires pour mesurer la qualité de vie, le développement humain, le progrès social et la durabilité de notre économie, ce qu’on appelle des indicateurs sur « le PIB et au-delà ». Il explique comment le BFP développe ces indicateurs en 2015 et annonce que le BFP publiera la première édition du rapport sur des indicateurs complémentaires au PIB début 2016. JEL Classification Codes :  D63, E01, H11, I31, Q56
Datation archéomagnétique de deux fours du haut Moyen-Âge à Cumes (Campanie, Italie)
Authors: Hervé Gwenael , Munzi-Santoriello Priscilla , Lanos Philippe , Brun Jean-Pierre , Caputo Paolo , Regis Cristina
Published: February 2017

La datation archéomagnétique porte sur deux fours
découverts dans la ville basse de Cumes, un four de tuilier retrouvé
dans la nécropole de la Porte médiane et un four de potier retrouvé
près de la Cava greca. Les deux fours sont
datés par la stratigraphie et la typochronologie entre le ve et le viie siècle apr. J.-C. Les
échantillons, prélevés par carottage dans les briques des parois des
fours, ont été analysés par désaimantation thermique et par le
protocole de Thellier-Thellier. Les deux fours donnent de très bons
résultats d’archéointensité et présentent un très bon regroupement des
directions d’aimantation. La différence significative entre les deux
archéointensités moyennes indique que la fin du fonctionnement des
deux fours n’est pas contemporaine. La datation archéomagnétique a été
réalisée avec les prédictions à Cumes du modèle géomagnétique européen
SCHA.DIF.3k. Le four de la Cava greca est daté
entre 590 et 640 apr. J.-C. à 95 % de confiance. Au même niveau de
confiance, le four FR59006 de la nécropole de la Porte médiane est
daté entre 540 et 645 apr. J.-C. La seconde moitié du vie siècle apparaît la
période la plus probable. Ces deux datations archéomagnétiques
confortent et précisent les datations archéologiques. Nos résultats
placent le fonctionnement des deux secteurs artisanaux à l’époque
byzantine et documentent les réappropriations médiévales de la ville
antique.
Beads excavated from Antsiraka Boira necropolis (Mayotte Island, 12th-13th centuries)
Authors: Fischbach Noémi , Ngo Anh-Tu , Colomban Philippe , Pauly Martial
Published: February 2017

About hundred out of three hundred colored beads
excavated from the necropolis of Antsiraka Boira (AB), in Mayotte
Island (12-13th c.) were classified according to
Wood’s morphological criteria and studied with a portable Raman
spectrometer (532nm). Based on the recorded spectra, 22 beads were
identified as representative and further analyzed in the laboratory
with High-Resolution Raman spectrometers, using wavelengths of 458,
633 and 785nm. Additional SEM-EDS analysis was carried out on the
surface and, sometimes, the bead cross-section. It turns out that
white beads are made of aragonite and that almost all other beads have
a soda glass matrix. Pyrochlore (yellow), amber/“Fe-S” (black),
manganese oxide (black), copper metal nanoparticles (red), and Cu2+ ions (turquoise) chromophores were identified. Some
red, yellow, black and turquoise beads also show the signature of
chromium-doped tin sphene that could therefore be used as a marker.
Most beads from the AB site can be classified as “Indo-Pacific”,
revealing a similarity with the contemporary South African site of K2
(close to Mapungubwe). However, some red and black beads are similar
to molten ceramic beads from the Vohemar Islamic necropolis (13-17th century AD, Madagascar Island). The on-site Raman
analysis appears sufficient for the identification of chromophores and
glass types.
Le complexe minier gaulois des Barrencs (Aude, France) dans son contexte géologique et minéralogique
Authors: Munteanu Gabriel , Kammenthaler Eric , Mantenant Julien , Rico Christian , Fabre Jean-Marc , Beyrie Argitxu
Published: February 2017

Les travaux miniers anciens des Barrencs, situés dans la vallée de l’Orbiel sur un plateau qui sépare les villages de Lastours et de Fournes-Cabardès (Aude), ont été découverts dès la fin du xixe siècle. Pendant plus d’un siècle ils ont été présentés comme l’œuvre des Romains. Entre 2009 et 2012 les travaux miniers ont fait l’objet d’un projet de recherche porté par une équipe spécialisée dans l’archéologie minière du laboratoire TRACES de l’université de Toulouse 2-Jean Jaurès. Les recherches ont mis en évidence un vaste complexe minier qui a exploité des structures filoniennes verticales à sub-verticales démontrant une parfaite organisation et un haut niveau technique de la part des mineurs. Cette nouvelle étude a permis de faire remonter la plus grande partie de l’activité minière au second âge du Fer. L’étude géologique menée en interaction directe avec les investigations archéologiques démontre une excellente maîtrise de l’exploitation, basée sur une bonne connaissance géologique empirique. Elle a guidé les anciens mineurs lors de la reconnaissance du gisement et, par la suite, pour l’exploitation des zones riches. Les analyses minéralogiques et élémentaires réalisées sur un échantillonnage systématique conduit au sein des travaux étudiés mettent en évidence une minéralisation épithermale riche en cuivre, argent et plomb. La composition minéralogique des minerais du gisement est dominée par la pyrite, la chalcopyrite, les « cuivres gris » argentifères, la galène et la galène argentifère, la sphalérite et des sulfures de cuivre souvent argentifères. Des sulfures et des sulfosels complexes d’argent, de cuivre et de plomb constituent la fraction mineure. Il ressort que pour les anciens mineurs, le minerai exploité était riche en cuivre, en argent et en plomb. Mais, la mine est loin d’avoir révélé tous ses secrets et des recherches complémentaires seront nécessaires pour estimer les volumes de minerai extrait, les modalités de traitement des minerais, le type de production ou le commerce.
Alternative Clustering
Authors: Navlani Avinash , Gupta V. B.
Published: February 2017

In the last couple of decades, clustering has become a very crucial research problem in the data mining research community. Clustering refers to the partitioning of data objects such as records and documents into groups or clusters of similar characteristics. Clustering is unsupervised learning, because of unsupervised nature there is no unique solution for all problems. Most of the time complex data sets require explanation in multiple clustering sets. All the Traditional clustering approaches generate single clustering. There is more than one pattern in a dataset; each of patterns can be interesting in from different perspectives. Alternative clustering intends to find all unlike groupings of the data set such that each grouping has high quality and distinct from each other. This chapter gives you an overall view of alternative clustering; it's various approaches, related work, comparing with various confusing related terms like subspace, multi-view, and ensemble clustering, applications, issues, and challenges.
Prioritizing and Analyzing Demand Chain Management (DCM) Processes in Indian Retailing Using AHP
Authors: Deshmukh Arun Kumar , Mohan Ashutosh
Published: February 2017

The extant body of literature on demand chain management (DCM) is predominantly conceptual and unequivocal on how to implement it in a real business setting. Keeping the research gap into account, the study aims to identify and prioritize the DCM processes or variables in the context of Indian retailing. The data were collected using survey method using a structured questionnaire with Saaty (1980) scale. The method employed for analyzing the collected data was analytical hierarchy process or AHP. The results of the study have interesting implications for the industry vis-à-vis literature. Some quick measures revealed that the processes which are critical to implementation of DCM in retail context, in the order of importance, comprises supplier relationship management, customer relationship management assortment planning, top-management commitment and support, marketing orientation, information management, supply chain leagility, customer service management, category management, purchasing management, inventory management, and category tactics.
Recommender System
Authors: Navlani Avinash , Dadhich Nidhi
Published: February 2017

With the increase in user choices and rapid change in user preferences, various methods required to capture such increasing choices and changing preferences. Online systems require quick adaptability. Another aspect is that with the increase in a number of items and users, computation time increases considerably. Thus system needs parallel computing platform to run newer designed recommender system techniques. Recommendation system helps people to tackle the choice overload problem and help to select the efficient one. Even though there is lots of work have been done in the recommendation system, still there is a problem in handling various types of data and basically to handle a large amount of data. The main aim of the recommendation system is to provide the best opinion from the available large amount of data. The present chapter describes an introduction to recommender systems, its functions, types, techniques, applications, collaborative filtering, content-based filtering and evaluation of performance.
Developing an Effective Strategy for Organizational Business Intelligence
Authors: Hawking Paul , Carmine Sellitto Carmine
Published: February 2017

Business Intelligence has been adopted across numerous industry sectors where the commensurate benefits have been reported as being significant to those that fall short of expectations. Indeed, an effective strategy that aligns company objectives and Business Intelligence has been shown to be an important factor in firm realizing organizational benefits. Using a case study approach, the paper documents the salient aspects of an energy company's Business Intelligence strategy that directly enhanced informational requirements. The firm's strategy embodied the adherence to certain guiding principles ensuring that the introduction of Business Intelligence directly addressed the company's needs. The paper presents a novel description of a company's Business Intelligence strategy that will provide valuable lessons for not only researchers, but also industry practitioners.
Valid Space Description in BIM for 3D Indoor Navigation
Authors: Abou Diakité Abdoulaye , Zlatanova Sisi
Published: February 2017

The BIM paradigm, supplied by appropriate standards like IFC, became unavoidable in recent construction projects. Several applications (e.g. indoor navigation, energy analysis ...) find in it a source of information on which they can rely. However, practices reveal that BIM models are not always directly reliable for applications and the latter have to ensure the validity of the data by their own. In the case of indoor navigation, the calculations will highly rely on the IfcSpace objects describing the rooms, in addition to their spatial relationships with their surrounding components. Unfortunately, it is common to face IFC models in which IfcSpace objects contain wrong geometric and topological description. In this paper, the authors discuss the issues related to BIM models validation for indoor navigation. Furthermore, they present a method to generate valid indoor spaces in IFC models. The approach relies on the structural components of the building (walls, slabs, etc.) and uses topological operations, supported by the combinatorial map data structure, to produce watertight space volumes.
Assessment of Multi-Engine Machine Translation for English to Hindi Language (MEMTEHiL)
Authors: Goswami Pankaj K. , Dwivedi Sanjay K. , Jha C. K.
Published: February 2017

English to Hindi translation of the computer-science related e-content, generated through an online freely available machine translation engine may not be technically correct. The expected target translation should be as fluent as intended for the native learners and the meaning of a source e-content should be conveyed properly. A Multi-Engine Machine Translation for English to Hindi Language (MEMTEHiL) framework has been designed and integrated by the authors as a translation solution for the computer science domain e-content. It was possible by enabling the use of well-tested approaches of machine translation. The humanly evaluated and acceptable metrics like fluency and adequacy (F&A) were used to assess the best translation quality for English to Hindi language pair. Besides humanly-judged metrics, another well-tested and existing interactive version of Bi-Lingual Evaluation Understudy (iBLEU) was used for evaluation. Authors have incorporated both parameters (F&A and iBLEU) for assessing the quality of translation as regenerated by the designed MEMTEHiL.
Numerical Simulation of Single Droplet Hydrodynamics Affected by Electrostatic Forces with the Aid of CFD
Authors: Salehi Mohammad Ali , Namazi Babak
Published: February 2017

In this study, Electrospray hydrodynamics and electrical potential dependency of heat transfer coefficient were investigated by computational fluid Dynamics (CFD). VOF method was applied to solve momentum equation of these two-phase flow and Whitaker empirical relationship for gas, liquid flow on sphere was also applied to calculate the heat transfer coefficient. The results of simulation were in accordance with experiments and showed that because of domination of surface tension by gravity and electric forces, diameter of droplets and their formation time were decreased. In addition, applying electrical potential at the velocity of 0.007 m/s has led to formation of jet and small droplets of liquid. Formation time of the droplet was decreased by increasing the velocity ten times higher than the previous time, to 0.07 m/s. By using the results of hydrodynamic simulation of droplet, convective heat transfer coefficient of droplet was calculated in various electrical potentials that showed heat transfer coefficient increased by growth of electrical potential.
Exploring Student and Supervisor Interaction During the SciPro Thesis Process
Authors: Hansen Preben , Hansson Henrik
Published: February 2017

Common problems identified by students during their interaction with supervisors are too little instructions as well as infrequent and insufficient supervisor feedback. The SciPro system has been developed to tackle these problems. This paper describes, analyze and discuss the interaction between students and supervisors using the SciPro system. Through two use cases involving two supervisors and 38 bachelor and master students, the authors show that the structure implemented in SciPro supports and allows for different pedagogical approaches and supervision styles. Ten different types of interactions in the thesis process are identified. In order to explain why some students do not complete within the timeframe, the authors identify six categories of problems: 1) language skills, 2) inability to apply research methods, 3) ability for self-study, 4) lack of creativity, 5) limited knowledge about how to write academic work, and 6) lack of motivation. The collaborative stage of group-supervision may be one possible way to deal with the different type of support for the process of managing student theses.
Learning and Education Experience in System Dynamics of Management Students
Authors: Kljajić Miroljub , Škraba Andrej , Borštnar Mirjana Kljajić
Published: February 2017

Article describes experiences in the teaching of a modelling and simulation course for students at Faculty of Organizational Sciences. The course consists of time-continuous simulation based on System Dynamics (SD) and discrete event simulation (DES). It is held in the 3rd year of studies, at which point students have taken courses in mathematics, statistics, theory of systems, as well as organizational and economic courses. The final grade for the course is derived from the student's project and written exam. Students took part in an experiment where they had to solve a managerial decision problem supported by a simulation model. Experimental results were then analysed and discussed in the students' projects. Students' contributions were part of their final grade. The results show that students, taking the course of Modelling and Simulation, thought that application of the simulation model contributes to a greater understanding of the problem, the faster finding of solutions, and enhanced confidence of the participants. The results are explained and discussed using a learning model.
Game Play Differences by Expertise Level in Dota 2, A Complex Multiplayer Video Game
Authors: Castaneda Lisa , Sidhu Manrita Kaur , Azose Jonathan J. , Swanson Tom
Published: February 2017

Dota 2, a complex team based video game, was used to study expertise and attentional allocation in a multiplayer online battle arena (MOBA) setting. Pre- and post-play survey questions and eye-tracker data were collected from 67 video game players during a session of Dota 2 play. Questions explored abstract versus concrete conceptualizations of game-play and individual versus team focus. Quantitative eye-tracker data was evaluated for differences in visual attention and scan patterns. The authors noted that novices reflected on more concrete game elements and were likely to look back at the same location twice in a row. There was no difference among player categories in amount of time looking at mini-map or in self vs. team focus; however, experts were more able to reflect on abstract game concepts. Expert-novice differences in this study are similar to expertise research findings from other domains. The qualitative and unique quantitative metrics that can be gathered from complex games may provide insight into the development of expertise.
Educational Games to Support Caring and Compassion Among Youth
Authors: Siyahhan Sinem , Ingram-Goble Adam A. , Barab Sasha , Solomou Maria
Published: February 2017

In this paper, the authors argue that video games offer unique and pervasive opportunities for children to develop social dispositions that are necessary to succeed in the 21st century. To this end, they discuss the design of TavCats—a virtual role-playing game that aimed to engage children (ages 9 to 13) in understanding, acting upon, and coming to value being caring and compassionate. The authors' discussion takes the form of a design narrative through which they explain the connections between their theoretical commitments and design decisions. Specifically, they review four design elements they utilized in their design work: identity claims, boundary objects, profession trajectories, and cyclic gameplay. The authors briefly share their observations from a pilot study with children in an afterschool setting to illustrate how their design work might be realized in the world. They conclude their paper with a discussion of the implications of their work for designing educational video games for supporting social dispositions as well as academic learning, and future directions.
Design of a Least Cost (LC) Vertical Search Engine based on Domain Specific Hidden Web Crawler
Authors: Ranjan Sudhakar , Bhatia Komal Kumar
Published: February 2017

Now days with the advent of internet technologies and ecommerce the need for smart search engine for human life is rising. The traditional search engines are not intelligent as well as smart and thus lead to the rise in searching costs. In this paper, architecture of a vertical search engine based on the domain specific hidden web crawler is proposed. To make a least cost vertical search engine improvement in the following techniques like: searching, indexing, ranking, transaction and query interface are suggested. The domain term analyzer filters the useless information to the maximum extent and finally provides the users with high precision information. Through the experimental result it is shown that the system works on accelerating the access, computation, storage, communication time, increased efficiency and work professionally.
Investigating the Relationship between Activities of Project Management Offices and Project Stakeholder Satisfaction
Authors: Güngör Dilek Özdemir , Gözlü Sıtkı
Published: February 2017

Organizations need to execute a number of projects simultaneously in order to react market changes. Besides that, technological advancements enable large scale, complex projects feasible. Keeping all these projects under control and executing projects effectively is a serious problem for every organization. PMOs are appeared to be a solution for managing multi-project environments, but their contribution to organizations is tortuous. In this research, activity areas of PMOs are derived from existing works, and the relationships between PMO activity areas and stakeholder's satisfaction are investigated by applying PLS-SEM methodology. There are six activity areas defined, and named as “project procurement”, “knowledge management”, “project team management”, “communication”, “project planning & follow up”, and “development and maintenance of IT”. With the guidance of existing literature research model is developed. Results show that “project planning & follow up”, and “project procurement” activities have direct effect on “stakeholder satisfaction” at medium level. Besides that, “knowledge management” and “IT infrastructure” have indirect effect through “project planning & follow up”.
Agile Project Management in Product Life Cycle
Authors: Altunel Haluk
Published: February 2017

Agile project management methodologies are becoming more popular day by day. They provide flexibility and adaptability to customers and project teams in terms of planning and competition. Due to these benefits, the share of the agile managed projects has been increasing. Most of the agile projects are executed on products. On the other hand, every product has a life cycle. Just as living beings, it is born, it grows/changes, matures, loses ground and completes its life and dies. The stages that define the product life in this way were put forth in The Product Life Cycle Theory. One or generally more projects and various operational works accompany the product throughout the product life. In this study, the effects of applying agile project management principles on product's life cycle are analyzed. In order to receive effective results from the agile project that accompany the product, project is suggested to be divided into phases and these phases are proposed to be differentiated according to the stage of the product. Furthermore, Product Life-time Project concept is introduced with agile methodologies. It reserves a project and its team to a specific product during its whole life. Product Life-time Project is applied to software development and automotive industries and the results are presented and compared with the traditional approach.
Decision-Tree Models for Predicting Time Performance in Software-Intensive Projects
Authors: Sökmen Nermin , Çebi Ferhan
Published: February 2017

Initial requirements, new requirements and technical issues are the main factors that have a great effect over the software product development process. Difficulties resulting from incomprehensibility of initial requirements indicate two sub-factors: Deviations determined during analysis of initial requirements and deviations resulting from interpretation of requirements inaccurate and incomplete. New requirements being received from customers or end users during the development process affect the project performance. There can be problems during the implementation of product specifications, inaccurate formation of architectural design and technical solutions, incorrect coding of functions, or wrong realization of interfaces. The general technical problems cover the all problems arising from technical reasons and the negative situations they create on the project. During the design and implementation activities of software intensive projects, these tree main factors can be affected by other sub-factors. The aim of this study is to examine the factor classes which influence these three problem domains with CHAID (Chi-squared Automatic Interaction Detection) technique. Time deviations caused by initial requirements, new requirements and general technical problems are selected as target variables. In this research, 75 projects that develop software intensive products are studied to formalize the most accurate decision mechanism.
Histogram of Oriented Directional Features for Robust Face Recognition
Authors: Essa Almabrok , Asari Vijayan K.
Published: February 2017

This paper presents an illumination invariant face recognition system that uses directional features and modular histogram. The proposed Histogram of Oriented Directional Features (HODF) produces multi-region histograms for each face image, then concatenates these histograms to form the final feature vector. This feature vector is used to recognize the face image by the help of k nearest neighbors classifier (KNN). The edge responses and the relationship among pixels are very important and play the main role for improving the face recognition accuracy. Therefore, this work presents the effectiveness of using different directional masks for detecting the edge responses on face recognition accuracy, such as Prewitt kernels, Kirsch masks, Sobel kernels, and Gaussian derivative masks. The performance evaluation of the proposed HODF algorithm is conducted on several publicly available databases and observed promising recognition rates.
Early and simultaneous detection ofNosema bombycis(Microsporidia: Nosematidae), nucleopolyhedrovirus (Baculoviridae), and densovirus (Parvoviridae) by multiplex real-time polymerase chain reaction inBombyx mori(Lepidoptera: Bombycidae)
Authors: Wu Shan , He Yong-Qiang , Lu Xing-Meng , Zhang Xiao-Feng , Shuai Jiang-Bing , Yu Hui-Zhen , Jin Chen-Chen , Mo Hong-Fei
Published: February 2017

An effective multiplex real-time polymerase chain reaction (PCR) assay for the simultaneous detection of three major pathogens,Nosema bombycisNägeli (Microsporidia: Nosematidae),Bombyx morinucleopolyhedrovirus (Baculoviridae: genusAlphabaculovirus) (NPV), andBombyx moridensovirus (Parvoviridae: genusIteravirus) (DNV), in silkworms (Bombyx mori(Linnaeus); Lepidoptera: Bombycidae) was developed in this study. Polymerase chain reaction and real-time PCR tests and basic local alignment search tool searches revealed that the primers and probes used in this study had high specificities for their target species. The ability of each primer/probe set to detect pure pathogen DNA was determined using a plasmid dilution panel, in which under optimal conditions the multiplex real-time PCR assay showed high efficiency in the detection of three mixed target plasmids with a detection limit of 8.5×103copies forN. bombycisandBombyx moriNPV (BmNPV) and 8.5×104copies forBombyx moriDNV (BmDNV). When the ability to detect these three pathogens was examined in artificially inoculated silkworms, our method presented a number of advantages over traditional microscopy, including specificity, sensitivity, and high-throughput capabilities. Under the optimal volume ratio for the three primer/probe sets (3:2:2=N. bombycis:BmNPV:BmDNV), the multiplex real-time PCR assay showed early detection of BmNPV and BmDNV by day 1 post inoculation using DNA templates of the three pathogens in various combinations from individually infected silkworms; the early detection ofN. bombyciswas possible by day 3 post inoculation using the DNA isolated from the midgut ofN. bombycis-infected silkworms.
Ex-Th17 (Nonclassical Th1) Cells Are Functionally Distinct from Classical Th1 and Th17 Cells and Are Not Constrained by Regulatory T Cells
Authors: Basdeo Sharee A. , Cluxton Deborah , Sulaimani Jamal , Moran Barry , Canavan Mary , Orr Carl , Veale Douglas J. , Fearon Ursula , Fletcher Jean M.
Published: February 2017

Th17 cells are an important therapeutic target in autoimmunity. However, it is known that Th17 cells exhibit considerable plasticity, particularly at sites of autoimmune inflammation. Th17 cells can switch to become ex-Th17 cells that no longer produce IL-17 but produce IFN-γ. These ex-Th17 cells are also called nonclassical Th1 cells because of their ability to produce IFN-γ, similar to Th1 cells; however, it is unclear whether they resemble Th1 or Th17 cells in terms of their function and regulation, and whether they have a pathogenic role in autoimmunity. We compared the phenotypic and functional features of human Th17, Th1, and ex-Th17 cell populations. Our data showed that despite their loss of IL-17 expression, ex-Th17 cells were more polyfunctional in terms of cytokine production than either Th1 or bona fide Th17 cells, and produced increased amounts of proinflammatory cytokines. The proliferative brake on Th17 cells appeared to be lifted because ex-Th17 cells proliferated more than Th17 cells after stimulation. In contrast with Th1 and Th17 cells, ex-Th17 cells were highly resistant to suppression of proliferation and cytokines by regulatory T cells. Finally, we showed that ex-Th17 cells accumulated in the joints of rheumatoid arthritis patients. Taken together, these data indicate that human ex-Th17 cells are functionally distinct from Th1 and Th17 cells, and suggest that they may play a pathogenic role at sites of autoimmunity, such as the rheumatoid arthritis joint where they accumulate. These findings have implications for therapeutic strategies that target IL-17, because these may not inhibit pathogenic ex-Th17 cells.
Exposure to a Social Stressor Induces Translocation of Commensal Lactobacilli to the Spleen and Priming of the Innate Immune System
Authors: Lafuse William P. , Gearinger Rachel , Fisher Sydney , Nealer Connor , Mackos Amy R. , Bailey Michael T.
Published: February 2017

Studies have shown that exposure to psychological stressors leads to inflammation throughout the body. This has been widely studied using social disruption (SDR), a social stressor that involves repeated social defeat in subordinate mice. Exposure to SDR increases serum cytokine levels, results in accumulation of spleen CD11b+ myeloid cells, and primes macrophages for increased cytokine and microbicidal activity. Our previous studies showed that intestinal microbes are necessary for SDR-enhancement of innate immunity. In this study, we show that SDR increases spleen CD11b+Ly6CintermLy6G+ neutrophil and CD11b+Ly6ChiLy6G−monocyte numbers compared with control mice. Further, we found that neutrophils and monocytes from stressor-exposed mice expressed higher levels of IL-1β mRNA. To determine whether bacterial translocation may contribute to these effects, bacterial 16S rRNA was quantified using quantitative real-time RT-PCR with bacterial group-specific primers. Exposure to the SDR stressor specifically increased Lactobacillus RNA in the spleen, which localized in spleen monocytes. The increased spleen levels of Lactobacillus 16S rRNA in SDR mice positively correlated with increased levels of IL-1β and IL-23 mRNA. Our findings indicate that during stressor exposure, Lactobacillus spp. can translocate to the spleen and prime the innate immune system for enhanced reactivity.
Immunohistochemistry-based comparative study in detection of Hirschsprung’s disease in infants in a Tertiary Care Center
Authors: Mukhopadhyay Bedabrata , Sengupta Moumita , Das Chhanda , Mukhopadhyay Madhumita , Barman Shibsankar , Mukhopadhyay Biswanath
Published: February 2017

BACKGROUND: Hirschsprung’s disease (HD) is the major cause of pediatric intestinal obstruction with a complex pattern of inheritance. The absence of ganglion cells along with an analysis of hypertrophy and hyperplasia of nerves in the nerve plexus of submucosa and muscularis mucosae is regarded as a potential hallmark for its diagnosis.

AIMS AND OBJECTIVES: This study was undertaken to ascertain the (1) clinical profile, (2) mode of presentation, and (3) to compare the role of calretinin immunostaining with acetylcholinesterase in the diagnosis of HD.

MATERIALS AND METHODS: This prospective and observational study was conducted in the Department of Pathology, IPGME & R from June 2014 to May 2015. One hundred and four patients clinically and radiologically diagnosed with HD underwent surgery were included in the study. The data of every patient including age, sex, and presenting symptoms were recorded. Eventually, histopathological, calretinin, and acetylcholinesterase immunohistochemical examination were done.

RESULTS: Total numbers of cases studied were 104, which aged between 0 days and 365 days. Male preponderance (76.92%) was noted. The overall sensitivity, specificity, positive, and negative predictive value of acetylcholinesterase were 100%, 86.44%, 84.91%, and 100%, respectively. The concordance of detection of ganglion cells and nerve fibers, and thereby diagnosis of Hirschsprung’s and non-HD using calretinin and the gold standard was statistically in strong agreement (κ = 0.749, 95% confidence interval: 0.635–0.863).

CONCLUSIONS: Calretinin stands out as the single and indispensable tool that differentiates HD from other mimickers.
Concurrent evaluation of microscopic observation of drug susceptibility assay for pulmonary and extrapulmonary tuberculosis
Authors: Zadbuke Sonali Sudhir , Set Reena , Khan Nishat , Shastri Jayanthi
Published: February 2017

BACKGROUND: Methods for detection and drug susceptibility of tuberculosis (TB) with solid media are inexpensive but slow and laborious. Rapid methods to diagnose TB and multidrug-resistant TB (MDR-TB) are a global priority for TB control.

OBJECTIVES: A study was performed to compare the sensitivity of detection of mycobacterial growth and time of culture positivity by microscopic observation of drug susceptibility (MODS) assay with that of Lowenstein–Jensen (LJ) culture in pulmonary and extrapulmonary TB and to evaluate the concordance of the susceptibilities to isoniazid (INH) and rifampicin (RIF) by MODS and proportion method on LJ.

MATERIALS AND METHODS: A prospective, laboratory-based study was conducted on a total of 300 samples from suspected cases of pulmonary and extrapulmonary TB. Samples were inoculated on LJ medium as per the standard guidelines and MODS assay was performed.

RESULTS: Sensitivity of MODS assay was 80% and 83.3% and specificity was 92.9% and 83.3% for pulmonary and extrapulmonary samples, respectively. Difference between mean time to detection of Mycobacterium TB (MTB) by LJ medium and MODS was statistically significant, with MODS being faster. drug susceptibility testing (DST) by MODS when compared to economic variant of proportion method was 87.87% for RIF, 90.9% for INH, and 96.96% for MDR-TB detection.

CONCLUSIONS: MODS assay provides rapid, safe, and sensitive detection of TB faster than the existing gold standard. It is extremely promising in effectively diagnosing MDR-TB.
Role of p16/INK4a and Ki-67 as specific biomarkers for cervical intraepithelial neoplasia: An institutional study
Authors: Hebbar Ankitha , Murthy Venkataramappa Srinivasa
Published: February 2017

BACKGROUND: P16/INK4a and Ki-67 have emerged as important biomarkers for the detection of high-risk human papilloma virus (HR-HPV) associated dysplastic changes in the cervical biopsy samples. The increasing inter- and intra-observer variability in the diagnosis of dysplastic lesions and immature squamous metaplasia on histopathology has led to the advent of these biomarkers. This study was taken up with an aim to study their role in increasing the diagnostic accuracy in equivocal cases on histopathology.

MATERIALS AND METHODS: Fifty cervical biopsy specimens were stained with p16/INK4a and Ki-67 consisting of 10 cases each of cervical intraepithelial neoplasia (CIN I/II/III) along with five cases of squamous metaplasia. Histopathological diagnosis was considered as the gold standard. Statistical analysis was done by kappa statistics, and P value was calculated.

RESULTS: The sensitivity and specificity of p16/INK4a and Ki-67 were 76.2%, 87.5%, 90.5%, and 87.5%, respectively. The overall agreement of both the immunostains with histopathological diagnosis was statistically significant (P < 0.05) and the diagnostic accuracy improved when both the stains were used in conjunction.

CONCLUSION: Ki-67 and p16/INK4a can be used as complimentary tests in differentiating dysplastic and nondysplastic lesions and help in confirming the histopathological diagnosis. They aid in recognition of dysplasias caused by HR-HPV, which have higher tendency to progress to neoplasia. However, further research is advocated before the widespread use of these markers for screening of dysplasias.
Comparison of calculated versus directly-measured low-density lipoprotein-cholesterol: An evaluation of ten formulas for an HIV-positive population in Sub-Saharan Africa
Authors: Osegbe Ifeyinwa , Ugonabo Martin , Chukwuka Chinwe , Meka Ijeoma , Nwosu Nnamdi
Published: February 2017

BACKGROUND: Low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDLC) is a modifiable risk factor for atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease, therefore needs to be assessed and monitored. Direct homogeneous assays and various formulas exist to determine LDLC. We aimed to compare the directly measured LDL (dLDLC) with ten formulas for estimating LDLC.

MATERIALS AND METHODS: This was a 2-year retrospective study of fasting lipid profile results obtained from HIV-positive patients attending an outpatient clinic at the University of Nigeria Teaching Hospital, Enugu, Nigeria, using homogeneous direct assays. Estimated LDLC was determined using ten formulas. Pearson’s correlation, Bland–Altman plots, and linear regression were performed. Statistical significance was P < 0.05.

RESULTS: Three thousand four hundred and eighty-two lipid results with mean ± standard deviation (SD) dLDLC of 2.1 ± 1.1 mmol/L were included in this study. There was a strong, positive correlation between Friedewald’s LDLC and dLDLC n = 3412, r = 0.84, P < 0.001, but linear regression demonstrated a proportional bias P = 0.005. Ahmadi’s equation showed the worst correlation n = 3482, r = 0.35, P < 0.001, but when applied to samples with triglyceride (TG) <1.13 mmol/L (100 mg/dl), the correlation showed a strong, positive relationship n = 1395, r = 0.80, P < 0.001, and no proportional bias P = 0.86. Teerankanchana’s equation was the only formula that showed no difference between its LDLC and dLDLC (n = 3482, P = 0.056). It also demonstrated strong, positive correlation (n = 3482, r = 0.84, P < 0.001) and had a mean difference ± SD of −0.68 ± 0.63.

CONCLUSION: Teerankanchana’s formula showed good correlation and minimal bias with dLDLC at all TG levels. Moreover, linear regression showed no difference in the two. It seems to be the most suitable formula for estimating LDLC in our HIV-positive population.
Microfilaria in pleural fluid cytology: A rare finding
Authors: Pal Subrata , Bose Kingshuk , Sharma Abhishek , Sikder Mrinal
Published: February 2017

Lymphatic filariasis is endemic in India and Southeast Asia. Detection of microfilaria is infrequently reported during cytological evaluation of various lesions or body cavity fluids. Presence of microfilaria in pleural fluid cytology is very rare finding even in endemic areas. Few cases of accidental finding of microfilaria have been reported in association with malignant pleural effusion. But pleural effusion of filarial origin is extremely rare manifestation. Here we report a classical case of microfilaria in pleural fluid cytology.
Toric Geometry
Authors: Hausen Jürgen , Maclagan Diane , Schenck Henry K.
Published: February 2017

Toric geometry is a subfield of algebraic geometry with deep intersections with combinatorics. This workshop brought together researchers working in toric geometry, applying toric geometry elsewhere in algebraic geometry, and applying toric geometry elsewhere inside and outside mathematics.
Geometrie
Authors: Lott John , Neves André , Taimanov Iskander A. , Wilking Burkhard
Published: February 2017

The workshop Geometry, organized by John Lott (Berkeley), André Neves (London), Iskander Taimanov (Novosibirsk) and Burkhard Wilking (Münster) was well attended with over 53 participants with broad geographic representation from all continents. Compared to previous meetings there were for example quite a few young Brazilian postdocs at the meeting. The emphasize on min-max problems and related fields was somewhat increased.
An Online Generalized Multiscale Discontinuous Galerkin Method (GMsDGM) for Flows in Heterogeneous Media
Authors: Chung Eric T. , Efendiev Yalchin , Leung Wing Tat
Published: February 2017

Offline computation is an essential component in most multiscale model reduction techniques. However, there are multiscale problems in which offline procedure is insufficient to give accurate representations of solutions, due to the fact that offline computations are typically performed locally and global information is missing in these offline information. To tackle this difficulty, we develop an online local adaptivity technique for local multiscale model reduction problems. We design new online basis functions within Discontinuous Galerkin method based on local residuals and some optimally estimates. The resulting basis functions are able to capture the solution efficiently and accurately, and are added to the approximation iteratively. Moreover, we show that the iterative procedure is convergent with a rate independent of physical scales if the initial space is chosen carefully. Our analysis also gives a guideline on how to choose the initial space. We present some numerical examples to show the performance of the proposed method.
Hermite Type Spline Spaces over Rectangular Meshes with Complex Topological Structures
Authors: Wu Meng , Mourrain Bernard , Galligo André , Nkonga Boniface
Published: February 2017

Motivated by the magneto hydrodynamic (MHD) simulation for Tokamaks with Isogeometric analysis, we present splines defined over a rectangular mesh with a complex topological structure, i.e., with extraordinary vertices. These splines are piecewise polynomial functions of bi-degree (d,d) andparameter continuity. And we compute their dimension and exhibit basis functions called Hermite bases for bicubic spline spaces. We investigate their potential applications for solving partial differential equations (PDEs) over a physical domain in the framework of Isogeometric analysis. For instance, we analyze the property of approximation of these spline spaces for theL2-norm; we show that the optimal approximation order and numerical convergence rates are reached by setting a proper parameterization, although the fact that the basis functions are singular at extraordinary vertices.