bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Identification of a Low-Risk Luminal A Breast Cancer Cohort That May Not Benefit From Breast Radiotherapy
Authors: Liu Fei-Fei , Shi Wei , Done Susan J. , Miller Naomi , Pintilie Melania , Voduc David , Nielsen Torsten O. , Nofech-Mozes Sharon , Chang Martin C. , Whelan Timothy J. , Weir Lorna M. , Olivotto Ivo A. , McCready David R. , Fyles Anthony W.
Published: May 2015

Purpose

To determine the prognostic and predictive value of intrinsic subtyping by using immunohistochemical (IHC) biomarkers for ipsilateral breast relapse (IBR) in participants in an early breast cancer randomized trial of tamoxifen with or without breast radiotherapy (RT).

Patients and Methods

IHC analysis of estrogen receptor, progesterone receptor, human epidermal growth factor receptor 2 (HER2), cytokeratin 5/6, epidermal growth factor receptor, and Ki-67 was conducted on 501 of 769 available blocks. Patients were classified as luminal A (n = 265), luminal B (n = 165), or high-risk subtype (luminal HER2, n = 22; HER2 enriched, n = 13; basal like, n = 30; or triple-negative nonbasal, n = 6). Median follow-up was 10 years.

Results

Classification by subtype was prognostic for IBR (10-year estimates: luminal A, 5.2%; luminal B, 10.5%; high-risk subtypes, 21.3%; P < .001). Luminal subtypes seemed to derive less benefit from RT (luminal A hazard ratio [HR], 0.40; luminal B HR, 0.51) than high-risk subtypes (HR, 0.13); however, the overall subtype-treatment interaction term was not significant (P = .26). In an exploratory analysis of women with clinical low-risk (age older than 60 years, T1, grade 1 or 2) luminal A tumors (n = 151), 10-year IBR was 3.1% versus 11.8% for the high-risk cohort (n = 341; P = .0063). Clinical low-risk luminal A patients had a 10-year IBR of 1.3% with tamoxifen versus 5.0% with tamoxifen plus RT (P = .42). Multivariable analysis showed that RT (HR, 0.31; P < .001), clinical risk group (HR, 2.2; P = .025), and luminal A subtype (HR, 0.25; P < .001) were significantly associated with IBR.

Conclusion

IHC subtyping was prognostic for IBR but was not predictive of benefit from RT. Further studies may validate the exploratory finding of a low-risk luminal A group who may be spared breast RT.
Simpson's Paradox and the Impact of Different DNMT3A Mutations on Outcome in Younger Adults With Acute Myeloid Leukemia
Authors: Gale Rosemary E. , Lamb Katarina , Allen Christopher , El-Sharkawi Dima , Stowe Cassandra , Jenkinson Sarah , Tinsley Steven , Dickson Glenda , Burnett Alan K. , Hills Robert K. , Linch David C.
Published: May 2015

Purpose

To evaluate the impact of DNMT3A mutations on outcome in younger patients with cytogenetic intermediate-risk acute myeloid leukemia.

Patients and Methods

Diagnostic samples from 914 patients (97% < 60 years old) were screened for mutations in DNMT3A exons 13 to 23. Clinical outcome was evaluated according to presence or absence of a mutation and stratified according to type of mutation (R882, non-R882 missense, or truncation).

Results

DNMT3A mutations (DNMT3AMUT) were identified in 272 patients (30%) and associated with a poorer prognosis than wild-type DNMT3A, but the difference was only seen when the results were stratified according to NPM1 genotype. This example of Simpson's paradox results from the high coincidence of DNMT3A and NPM1 mutations (80% of patients with DNMT3AMUT had NPM1 mutations), where the two mutations have opposing prognostic impact. In the stratified analyses, relapse in patients with DNMT3AMUT was higher (hazard ratio, 1.35; 95% CI, 1.07 to 1.72; P = .01), and overall survival was lower (hazard ratio, 1.37; 95% CI, 1.12 to 1.87; P = .002). The impact of DNMT3AMUT did not differ according to NPM1 genotype (test for heterogeneity: relapse, P = .4; overall survival, P = .9). Further analysis according to the type of DNMT3A mutation indicated that outcome was comparable in patients with R882 and non-R882 missense mutants, whereas in those with truncation mutants, it was comparable to wild-type DNMT3A.

Conclusion

These data confirm that presence of a DNMT3A mutation should be considered as a poor-risk prognostic factor, irrespective of the NPM1 genotype, and suggest that further consideration should be given to the type of DNMT3A mutation.
Risk Algorithm Using Serial Biomarker Measurements Doubles the Number of Screen-Detected Cancers Compared With a Single-Threshold Rule in the United Kingdom Collaborative Trial of Ovarian Cancer Screening
Authors: Menon Usha , Ryan Andy , Kalsi Jatinderpal , Gentry-Maharaj Aleksandra , Dawnay Anne , Habib Mariam , Apostolidou Sophia , Singh Naveena , Benjamin Elizabeth , Burnell Matthew , Davies Susan , Sharma Aarti , Gunu Richard , Godfrey Keith , Lopes Alberto , Oram David , Herod Jonathan , Williamson Karin , Seif Mourad W. , Jenkins Howard , Mould Tim , Woolas Robert , Murdoch John B. , Dobbs Stephen , Amso Nazar N. , Leeson Simon , Cruickshank Derek , Scott Ian , Fallowfield Lesley , Widschwendter Martin , Reynolds Karina , McGuire Alistair , Campbell Stuart , Parmar Mahesh , Skates Steven J. , Jacobs Ian
Published: May 2015

Purpose

Cancer screening strategies have commonly adopted single-biomarker thresholds to identify abnormality. We investigated the impact of serial biomarker change interpreted through a risk algorithm on cancer detection rates.

Patients and Methods

In the United Kingdom Collaborative Trial of Ovarian Cancer Screening, 46,237 women, age 50 years or older underwent incidence screening by using the multimodal strategy (MMS) in which annual serum cancer antigen 125 (CA-125) was interpreted with the risk of ovarian cancer algorithm (ROCA). Women were triaged by the ROCA: normal risk, returned to annual screening; intermediate risk, repeat CA-125; and elevated risk, repeat CA-125 and transvaginal ultrasound. Women with persistently increased risk were clinically evaluated. All participants were followed through national cancer and/or death registries. Performance characteristics of a single-threshold rule and the ROCA were compared by using receiver operating characteristic curves.

Results

After 296,911 women-years of annual incidence screening, 640 women underwent surgery. Of those, 133 had primary invasive epithelial ovarian or tubal cancers (iEOCs). In all, 22 interval iEOCs occurred within 1 year of screening, of which one was detected by ROCA but was managed conservatively after clinical assessment. The sensitivity and specificity of MMS for detection of iEOCs were 85.8% (95% CI, 79.3% to 90.9%) and 99.8% (95% CI, 99.8% to 99.8%), respectively, with 4.8 surgeries per iEOC. ROCA alone detected 87.1% (135 of 155) of the iEOCs. Using fixed CA-125 cutoffs at the last annual screen of more than 35, more than 30, and more than 22 U/mL would have identified 41.3% (64 of 155), 48.4% (75 of 155), and 66.5% (103 of 155), respectively. The area under the curve for ROCA (0.915) was significantly (P = .0027) higher than that for a single-threshold rule (0.869).

Conclusion

Screening by using ROCA doubled the number of screen-detected iEOCs compared with a fixed cutoff. In the context of cancer screening, reliance on predefined single-threshold rules may result in biomarkers of value being discarded.
SWOG S0809: A Phase II Intergroup Trial of Adjuvant Capecitabine and Gemcitabine Followed by Radiotherapy and Concurrent Capecitabine in Extrahepatic Cholangiocarcinoma and Gallbladder Carcinoma
Authors: Ben-Josef Edgar , Guthrie Katherine A. , El-Khoueiry Anthony B. , Corless Christopher L. , Zalupski Mark M. , Lowy Andrew M. , Thomas Charles R. , Alberts Steven R. , Dawson Laura A. , Micetich Kenneth C. , Thomas Melanie B. , Siegel Abby B. , Blanke Charles D.
Published: May 2015

Purpose

The role of postoperative therapy in extrahepatic cholangiocarcinoma (EHCC) or gallbladder carcinoma (GBCA) is unknown. S0809 was designed to estimate 2-year survival (overall and after R0 or R1 resection), pattern of relapse, and toxicity in patients treated with this adjuvant regimen.

Patients and Methods

Eligibility criteria included diagnosis of EHCC or GBCA after radical resection, stage pT2-4 or N+ or positive resection margins, M0, and performance status 0 to 1. Patients received four cycles of gemcitabine (1,000 mg/m2 intravenously on days 1 and 8) and capecitabine (1,500 mg/m2 per day on days 1 to 14) every 21 days followed by concurrent capecitabine (1,330 mg/m2 per day) and radiotherapy (45 Gy to regional lymphatics; 54 to 59.4 Gy to tumor bed). With 80 evaluable patients, results would be promising if 2-year survival 95% CI were > 45% and R0 and R1 survival estimates were ≥ 65% and 45%, respectively.

Results

A total of 79 eligible patients (R0, n = 54; R1, n = 25; EHCC, 68%; GBCA, 32%) were treated (86% completed). For all patients, 2-year survival was 65% (95% CI, 53% to 74%); it was 67% and 60% in R0 and R1 patients, respectively. Median overall survival was 35 months (R0, 34 months; R1, 35 months). Local, distant, and combined relapse occurred in 14, 24, and nine patients. Grade 3 and 4 adverse effects were observed in 52% and 11% of patients, respectively. The most common grade 3 to 4 adverse effects were neutropenia (44%), hand-foot syndrome (11%), diarrhea (8%), lymphopenia (8%), and leukopenia (6%). There was one death resulting from GI hemorrhage.

Conclusion

This combination was well tolerated, has promising efficacy, and provides clinicians with a well-supported regimen. Our trial establishes the feasibility of conducting national adjuvant trials in EHCC and GBCA and provides baseline data for planning future phase III trials.
Caracol: Translator’s Notes
Authors: Kamuf Peggy
Published: May 2015

Taking an improbable caracol or snail as a guide to thinking about translation, this essay ponders the sensation of tongues touching and entwining, like hermaphroditic mollusks making love. Advancing in successive whorls, rather than along the straight line of argument, it touches on, among other things, the translator’s modesty or “invisibility”; on the chance of the lucky find or fortuitous encounter; on the “passion for translation” (Derrida); on modern foreign language instruction that harbors the vain ambition to suppress the experience of translation; and on Virginia Woolf’s snail on the wall.
The eyes of the deep diving hooded seal (Cystophora cristata) enhance sensitivity to ultraviolet light
Authors: Hogg Chris , Neveu Magella , Folkow Lars , Stokkan Karl-Arne , Hoh Kam Jaimie , Douglas Ron H. , Jeffery Glen
Published: May 2015

The mammalian visual range is approximately 400–700 nm, although recent evidence suggests varying ultraviolet (UV) extensions in diverse terrestrial species. UV sensitivity may have advantages in the dim, blue light shifted environment experienced by submerged marine mammals. It may also be advantageous when seals are on land as UV is reflected by snow and ice but absorbed by fur, enhancing visual contrast. Here we show that the pelagic hooded seal (Cystophora cristata) has a highly UV permissive cornea and lens. Seals like other carnivores have a tapetum lucidum (TL) reflecting light back through the retina increasing sensitivity. The TL in this seal is unusual being white and covering almost the entire retina unlike that in other carnivores. Spectral reflectance from its surface selectively increases the relative UV/blue components >10 times than other wavelengths. Retinal architecture is consistent with a high degree of convergence. Enhanced UV from a large TL surface with a high degree of retinal convergence will increase sensitivity at a cost to acuity. UV electrophysiological retina responses were only obtained to dim, rod mediated stimuli, with no evidence of cone input. As physiological measurements of threshold sensitivity are much higher than those for psychophysical detection, these seals are likely to be more UV sensitive than our results imply. Hence, UV reflections from the TL will afford increased sensitivity in dim oceanic environments.
The ArfGAP2/3 Glo3 and ergosterol collaborate in transport of a subset of cargoes
Authors: Estrada Alejandro F. , Muruganandam Gopinath , Prescianotto-Baschong Cristina , Spang Anne
Published: May 2015

Proteins reach the plasma membrane through the secretory pathway in which the trans Golgi network (TGN) acts as a sorting station. Transport from the TGN to the plasma membrane is maintained by a number of different pathways that act either directly or via the endosomal system. Here we show that a subset of cargoes depends on the ArfGAP2/3 Glo3 and ergosterol to maintain their proper localization at the plasma membrane. While interfering with neither ArfGAP2/3 activity nor ergosterol biosynthesis individually significantly altered plasma membrane localization of the tryptophan transporter Tat2, the general amino acid permease Gap1 and the v-SNARE Snc1, in a Δglo3 Δerg3 strain those proteins accumulated in internal endosomal structures. Export from the TGN to the plasma membrane and recycling from early endosomes appeared unaffected as the chitin synthase Chs3 that travels along these routes was localized normally. Our data indicate that a subset of proteins can reach the plasma membrane efficiently but after endocytosis becomes trapped in endosomal structures. Our study supports a role for ArfGAP2/3 in recycling from endosomes and in transport to the vacuole/lysosome.
Enhanced selective gene delivery to neural stem cells in vivo by an adeno-associated viral variant
Authors: Kotterman Melissa A. , Vazin Tandis , Schaffer David V.
Published: May 2015

Neural stem cells (NSCs) are defined by their ability to self-renew and to differentiate into mature neuronal and glial cell types. NSCs are the subject of intense investigation, owing to their crucial roles in neural development and adult brain function and because they present potential targets for gene and cell replacement therapies following injury or disease. Approaches to specifically genetically perturb or modulate NSC function would be valuable for either motivation. Unfortunately, most gene delivery vectors are incapable of efficient or specific gene delivery to NSCs in vivo. Vectors based on adeno-associated virus (AAV) present a number of advantages and have proven increasingly successful in clinical trials. However, natural AAV variants are inefficient in transducing NSCs. We previously engineered a novel AAV variant (AAV r3.45) capable of efficient transduction of adult NSCs in vitro. Here, to build upon the initial promise of this variant, we investigated its in vitro and in vivo infectivity. AAV r3.45 was more selective for NSCs than mature neurons in a human embryonic stem cell-derived culture containing a mixture of cell types, including NSCs and neurons. It was capable of more efficient and selective transduction of rat and mouse NSCs in vivo than natural AAV serotypes following intracranial vector administration. Delivery of constitutively active β-catenin yielded insights into mechanisms by which this key regulator modulates NSC function, indicating that this engineered AAV variant can be harnessed for preferential modulation of adult NSCs in the hippocampus. The capacity to rapidly genetically modify these cells might greatly accelerate in vivo investigations of adult neurogenesis.
An illustrated anatomical ontology of the developing mouse lower urogenital tract
Authors: Georgas Kylie M. , Armstrong Jane , Keast Janet R. , Larkins Christine E. , McHugh Kirk M. , Southard-Smith E. Michelle , Cohn Martin J. , Batourina Ekatherina , Dan Hanbin , Schneider Kerry , Buehler Dennis P. , Wiese Carrie B. , Brennan Jane , Davies Jamie A. , Harding Simon D. , Baldock Richard A. , Little Melissa H. , Vezina Chad M. , Mendelsohn Cathy
Published: May 2015

Malformation of the urogenital tract represents a considerable paediatric burden, with many defects affecting the lower urinary tract (LUT), genital tubercle and associated structures. Understanding the molecular basis of such defects frequently draws on murine models. However, human anatomical terms do not always superimpose on the mouse, and the lack of accurate and standardised nomenclature is hampering the utility of such animal models. We previously developed an anatomical ontology for the murine urogenital system. Here, we present a comprehensive update of this ontology pertaining to mouse LUT, genital tubercle and associated reproductive structures (E10.5 to adult). Ontology changes were based on recently published insights into the cellular and gross anatomy of these structures, and on new analyses of epithelial cell types present in the pelvic urethra and regions of the bladder. Ontology changes include new structures, tissue layers and cell types within the LUT, external genitalia and lower reproductive structures. Representative illustrations, detailed text descriptions and molecular markers that selectively label muscle, nerves/ganglia and epithelia of the lower urogenital system are also presented. The revised ontology will be an important tool for researchers studying urogenital development/malformation in mouse models and will improve our capacity to appropriately interpret these with respect to the human situation.
Building the backbone: the development and evolution of vertebral patterning
Authors: Fleming Angeleen , Kishida Marcia G. , Kimmel Charles B. , Keynes Roger J.
Published: May 2015

The segmented vertebral column comprises a repeat series of vertebrae, each consisting of two key components: the vertebral body (or centrum) and the vertebral arches. Despite being a defining feature of the vertebrates, much remains to be understood about vertebral development and evolution. Particular controversy surrounds whether vertebral component structures are homologous across vertebrates, how somite and vertebral patterning are connected, and the developmental origin of vertebral bone-mineralizing cells. Here, we assemble evidence from ichthyologists, palaeontologists and developmental biologists to consider these issues. Vertebral arch elements were present in early stem vertebrates, whereas centra arose later. We argue that centra are homologous among jawed vertebrates, and review evidence in teleosts that the notochord plays an instructive role in segmental patterning, alongside the somites, and contributes to mineralization. By clarifying the evolutionary relationship between centra and arches, and their varying modes of skeletal mineralization, we can better appreciate the detailed mechanisms that regulate and diversify vertebral patterning.
CSR-1 and P granules suppress sperm-specific transcription in theC. elegansgermline
Authors: Campbell Anne C. , Updike Dustin L.
Published: May 2015

Germ granules (P granules) in C. elegans are required for fertility and function to maintain germ cell identity and pluripotency. Sterility in the absence of P granules is often accompanied by the misexpression of soma-specific proteins and the initiation of somatic differentiation in germ cells. To investigate whether this is caused by the accumulation of somatic transcripts, we performed mRNA-seq on dissected germlines with and without P granules. Strikingly, we found that somatic transcripts do not increase in the young adult germline when P granules are impaired. Instead, we found that impairing P granules causes sperm-specific mRNAs to become highly overexpressed. This includes the accumulation of major sperm protein (MSP) transcripts in germ cells, a phenotype that is suppressed by feminization of the germline. A core component of P granules, the endo-siRNA-binding Argonaute protein CSR-1, has recently been ascribed with the ability to license transcripts for germline expression. However, impairing CSR-1 has very little effect on the accumulation of its mRNA targets. Instead, we found that CSR-1 functions with P granules to prevent MSP and sperm-specific mRNAs from being transcribed in the hermaphrodite germline. These findings suggest that P granules protect germline integrity through two different mechanisms, by (1) preventing the inappropriate expression of somatic proteins at the level of translational regulation, and by (2) functioning with CSR-1 to limit the domain of sperm-specific expression at the level of transcription.
The regulated elimination of transit-amplifying cells preserves tissue homeostasis during protein starvation in Drosophila testis
Authors: Yang Heiko , Yamashita Yukiko M.
Published: May 2015

How tissues adapt to varying nutrient conditions is of fundamental importance for robust tissue homeostasis throughout the life of an organism, but the underlying mechanisms are poorly understood. Here, we show that Drosophila testis responds to protein starvation by eliminating transit-amplifying spermatogonia (SG) while maintaining a reduced pool of actively proliferating germline stem cells (GSCs). During protein starvation, SG die in a manner that is mediated by the apoptosis of somatic cyst cells (CCs) that encapsulate SG and regulate their development. Strikingly, GSCs cannot be maintained during protein starvation when CC-mediated SG death is inhibited, leading to an irreversible collapse of tissue homeostasis. We propose that the regulated elimination of transit-amplifying cells is essential to preserve stem cell function and tissue homeostasis during protein starvation.
An interview with Juergen Knoblich
Authors: Vicente Catarina
Published: May 2015

Juergen Knoblich is a senior scientist and deputy scientific director of the Institute of Molecular Biotechnology of the Austrian Academy of Sciences in Vienna. We met Juergen at the 56th Annual Drosophila Research Conference, where we asked him about his work in this model system and, more recently, on human cerebral organoids, and about his thoughts on recent technological developments and the funding situation.
Rab32 is essential for maintaining functional acidocalcisomes, and for growth and infectivity of Trypanosoma cruzi
Authors: Niyogi Sayantanee , Jimenez Veronica , Girard-Dias Wendell , de Souza Wanderley , Miranda Kildare , Docampo Roberto
Published: May 2015

The contractile vacuole complex (CVC) of Trypanosoma cruzi, the etiologic agent of Chagas disease, collects and expels excess water as a mechanism of regulatory volume decrease after hyposmotic stress; it also has a role in cell shrinking after hyperosmotic stress. Here, we report that, in addition to its role in osmoregulation, the CVC of T. cruzi has a role in the biogenesis of acidocalcisomes. Expression of dominant-negative mutants of the CVC-located small GTPase Rab32 (TcCLB.506289.80) results in lower numbers of less-electron-dense acidocalcisomes, lower content of polyphosphate, lower capacity for acidocalcisome acidification and Ca2+ uptake that is driven by the vacuolar proton pyrophosphatase and the Ca2+-ATPase, respectively, as well as less-infective parasites, revealing the role of this organelle in parasite infectivity. By using fluorescence, electron microscopy and electron tomography analyses, we provide further evidence of the active contact of acidocalcisomes with the CVC, indicating an active exchange of proteins between the two organelles.
Dual foraging and pair-coordination during chick provisioning by Manx shearwaters: empirical evidence supported by a simple model
Authors: Shoji A. , Aris-Brosou S. , Fayet A. , Padget O. , Perrins C. , Guilford T.
Published: May 2015

The optimal allocation of time and energy between one own's survival and offspring survival is critical for iteroparous animals but creates a conflict between what maximises the parent's fitness and what maximises the offspring's. For central-place foragers, provisioning strategies may reflect this allocation, while the distance between central-places and foraging areas may influence the decision. Nevertheless, few studies have explored the link between life history and foraging in the context of resource allocation. Studying foraging behaviour alongside food load rates to chicks provides a useful system for understanding the foraging decisions made during parent-offspring conflict. Using simultaneously deployed GPS and time-depth recorders, we examined the provisioning strategies in free-living Manx shearwaters Puffinus puffinus, which were caring for young. Our results showed a bimodal pattern where birds alternate short and long trips. Short trips were associated with higher feeding frequency and larger meals than long trips, suggesting that long trips were performed for self-feeding. Furthermore, most foraging was carried out within 100 km of sea fronts. Critically, these empirical findings are supported by a simple model based on patch quality and travel time showing that a bimodal foraging trip duration optimises feeding rates.
Synthesis and Characterization of Barnacle Adhesive Mimetic towards Underwater Adhesion
Authors: Nishida Jin , Higaki Yuji , Takahara Atsushi
Published: May 2015

A polyacrylamide including tetra-alanine units, hydroxy groups, and hexyl groups was synthesized as a mimetic of barnacle underwater adhesive proteins. The synthesized barnacle mimetic polymer was dissolved in water and subjected to a condensation reaction with hexylamine. Gelation through multiple hydrogen bonds of the oligo-alanine units was confirmed. The adhesive strength of the bonded substrate with the gel-forming barnacle mimetic polymer solution was demonstrated to be 402 kPa for poly(methyl methacrylate) (PMMA) plate adhesion by the tensile shear adhesion test.
Novel Titanium Complexes with a Reversible Structural Change on Solvent Adsorption and Desorption
Authors: Kobayashi Makoto , Okuhara Tatsuya , Kato Hideki , Sato Sota , Kakihana Masato
Published: May 2015

Two novel pyrazine-2-carboxylate titanium complexes were synthesized from an aqueous solution (1) and 1 in N,N-dimethylformamide (DMF) (2). The structure of 2 was determined to be [Ti6O8(C4H3N2COO)8(C3H7NO)4]·4C3H7NO·H2O by single-crystal X-ray analysis. Both complexes exhibited solvent adsorption–desorption accompanying reversible structural change. 1 and 2 were compatible, and 1 was vital for the synthesis of 2. The degassed 1 showed gate adsorption property for water vapor.
Why are enteric ganglia so small? Role of differential adhesion of enteric neurons and enteric neural crest cells.
Authors: Rollo Benjamin N. , Zhang Dongcheng , Simkin Johanna E. , Menheniott Trevelyan R. , Newgreen Donald F.
Published: May 2015

The avian enteric nervous system (ENS) consists of a vast number of unusually small ganglia compared to other peripheral ganglia. Each ENS ganglion at mid-gestation has a core of neurons and a shell of mesenchymal precursor/glia-like enteric neural crest (ENC) cells. To study ENS cell ganglionation we isolated midgut ENS cells by HNK-1 fluorescence-activated cell sorting (FACS) from E5 and E8 quail embryos, and from E9 chick embryos. We performed cell-cell aggregation assays which revealed a developmentally regulated functional increase in ENS cell adhesive function, requiring both Ca2+-dependent and independent adhesion. This was consistent with N-cadherin and NCAM labelling. Neurons sorted to the core of aggregates, surrounded by outer ENC cells, showing that neurons had higher adhesion than ENC cells. The outer surface of aggregates became relatively non-adhesive, correlating with low levels of NCAM and N-cadherin on this surface of the outer non-neuronal ENC cells. Aggregation assays showed that ENS cells FACS selected for NCAM-high and enriched for enteric neurons formed larger and more coherent aggregates than unsorted ENS cells. In contrast, ENS cells of the NCAM-low FACS fraction formed small, disorganised aggregates.  This suggests a novel mechanism for control of ENS ganglion morphogenesis where i) differential adhesion of ENS neurons and ENC cells controls the core/shell ganglionic structure and ii) the ratio of neurons to ENC cells dictates the equilibrium ganglion size by generation of an outer non-adhesive surface.
Public-Private Partnership as an Efficient Form of Cooperation Between Public and Private Sectors
Authors: Лазутина  , Lazutina O.
Published: May 2015

The paper considers public-private partnership as an efficient form of cooperation

between public and private sectors, and also trends of its further development.

Definition of public-private partnership is provided; cases of Russian publicprivate

partnerships projects are presented. Also presented are recommendations

on how to improve public-private partnerships in this country.
Features of Quality Management Systems at of Oil-and-Gas industry Enterprises
Authors: Тюрикова  , Tyurikova V. , Баурина  , Baurina Svetlana
Published: May 2015

The paper considers main features of quality management systems in place at enterprises of oil-and gas, petrochemical and gas industry. Described is the international standard, regulating normative requirements to be met by oil-and-gas industry enterprises, when introducing modern quality management system.
Optimizing Functioning of Ryazan town Urban Transit System through Restriction of Individual Transport Traffic
Authors: Меркулов  , Merkulov Yu. , Смирнов  , Smirnov E. , Беев  , Beev A.
Published: May 2015

The paper explores the problem of how to optimize functioning of the urban

transit system of Ryazan town by means of reducing individual transport

traffic flows. The authors propose to partially block off individual transport

traffic on main traffic arteries of the town. The effect gained as a result of

this proposal is assessed in physical measures as well as in measures of

dynamic optimization.
Practical considerations in parasite control programmes for cats and dogs
Authors: Wright Ian
Published: May 2015

Parasite control is required for a number of parasites infecting cats and dogs, both for animal and human health. Pet owners may obtain information from many sources such as pet shops, pharmacies, the internet and word of mouth, which can lead to confusion over which parasites are of concern and what control measures are required. It is the role of veterinary professionals to assess the needs of clients and their pets, and make specific recommendations for them. In doing so, client and pet health are improved while client bonding to the practice, and sales of parasiticides, may be increased. This article considers the factors that need to be assessed in giving effective parasite control advice.
A focus on SRE
Authors: O'Connell Suzanne
Published: May 2015

Sex and relationships education has always sparked debate and it featured in the run-up to the General Election. Suzanne O'Connell asks where schools stand on this sometimes-contentious, yet increasingly essential subject – and also looks at what constitutes good SRE
Lifestyle migration and work choices
Authors: Holland Claire , Martin Emma
Published: May 2015

Building on the work of lifestyle migrant researchers where hospitality and tourism are key drivers for migrants’ location decisions, this article considers the complexities of work choices made by lifestyle migrants. Discussion leads to the proposition of linking lifestyle migration, work–life balance and work choices to provide a basis upon which to explore this group of workers and their relationship with work post-migration. To do this the study reflects on semi-structured interviews with 33 UK lifestyle migrants living in the Chamonix Valley, France and working in hospitality and tourism.
Hospitality and its ambivalences. On Zygmunt Bauman
Authors: Welten Ruud
Published: May 2015

Hospitality is often understood as an ethical openness towards the other. Hospitality, in this way, is a gift. But is this really the situation of hospitality in the world today? Europeans have created another, bespoke hospitality and they insist on being given a generous welcome all over the world – colonialists, imperialists, businessmen, tourists, scientists and students. Europe is too small for the Europeans: the world is their oyster. Yet in that oyster, hospitality is more often the cause of problems than the solution. In the following article, I will elaborate on this critical idea of hospitality as it is understood in the works of Zygmunt Bauman.
Transformative Learning of Pre-Service Teachers during Study Abroad
Authors: Vatalaro Angela , Szente Judit , Levin Judith
Published: May 2015

Only a small percentage of pre-service teachers are exposed to meaningful, comprehensive curricula that enhance global competence (Lucas & Villegas, 2002; Tucker, 1982; Wells, 2008). In response to pre-service teachers’ limited exposure to diverse curricula, many universities offer international study abroad programs that provide students with experiences designed to increase multicultural and global awareness that they may not receive in their regular coursework. This paper shares how a Study Abroad Program to Reggio Emilia, Italy transformed pre-service teachers’ learning experiences. Conclusions, discussions, and recommendations for future research are also included.
Multivariate calibration applied in UV-Vis spectroscopy data to determine total acidity in wines
Authors: Morais Cristiane Da Silva , Leme Luiza Mariano , Valderrama Patrícia , Março Paulo Henrique
Published: May 2015

Classical methods, as titration to evaluate acidity, bring disadvantage to waste generation and mainly time consumption. Therefore, is necessary to develop an alternative methodology for measuring total acidity of wine samples. The Ultraviolet and Visible spectrophotometric technique can be introduced in the industry to monitoring this parameter because it enables rapid and efficient analysis without waste generation. Thereby, in this study were developed multivariate calibration models using the Partial Least Squares (PLS) regression between the UV-Vis spectra of wines and total acidity values determined by the reference method. The figures of merit for the models were Root Mean Squared Error of Calibration (RMSEC), Root Mean Squared Error of Prediction (RMSEP) and correlation coefficient (R). To the white wines, the model obtained showed RMSEC and RMSEP of 5.87 meq L-1 and 6.58 meq L-1, respectively. To the red wines, the model presented RMSEC 0.71 meq L-1 and RMSEP 6.93 meq L-1. Both models presented correlation coefficient of 0.71. A paired t-test showed no significant difference between titration and spectrophotometric methods at a confidence level of 95%. Therefore, the advantages offered by the UV-Vis method are attractive to industrial requirements, suggesting that studies focused on optical methods and multivariate calibration can be interesting and deserve to be observed in further studies.

 

DOI: 10.14685/rebrapa.v6i1.193

 
Efficient and effective KNN sequence search with approximate n-grams
Authors: Wang Xiaoli , Ding Xiaofeng , Tung Anthony K. H. , Zhang Zhenjie
Published: May 2015

In this paper, we address the problem of finding
k
-nearest neighbors (KNN) in sequence databases using the edit distance. Unlike most existing works using short and exact
n
-gram matchings together with a filter-and-refine framework for KNN sequence search, our new approach allows us to use longer but approximate
n
-gram matchings as a basis of KNN candidates pruning. Based on this new idea, we devise a pipeline framework over a two-level index for searching KNN in the sequence database. By coupling this framework together with several efficient filtering strategies, i.e. the frequency queue and the well-known Combined Algorithm (CA), our proposal brings various enticing advantages over existing works, including 1) huge reduction on false positive candidates to avoid large overheads on candidate verifications; 2) progressive result update and early termination; and 3) good extensibility to parallel computation. We conduct extensive experiments on three real datasets to verify the superiority of the proposed framework.
More is simpler
Authors: Yu Weiren , Lin Xuemin , Zhang Wenjie , Chang Lijun , Pei Jian
Published: May 2015

Similarity assessment is one of the core tasks in hyperlink analysis. Recently, with the proliferation of applications,
e.g.
, web search and collaborative filtering, SimRank has been a well-studied measure of similarity between two nodes in a graph. It recursively follows the philosophy that "two nodes are similar if they are referenced (have incoming edges) from similar nodes", which can be viewed as an aggregation of similarities based on incoming paths. Despite its popularity, SimRank has an undesirable property,
i.e.
, "zero-similarity": It only accommodates paths with
equal
length from a common "center" node. Thus, a large portion of other paths are fully ignored. This paper attempts to remedy this issue. (1) We propose and rigorously justify SimRank*, a revised version of SimRank, which resolves such counter-intuitive "zero-similarity" issues while inheriting merits of the basic SimRank philosophy. (2) We show that the series form of SimRank* can be reduced to a fairly succinct and elegant closed form, which looks even simpler than SimRank, yet enriches semantics without suffering from increased computational cost. This leads to a fixed-point iterative paradigm of SimRank* in
O
(
Knm
) time on a graph of
n
nodes and
m
edges for
K
iterations, which is comparable to SimRank. (3) To further optimize SimRank* computation, we leverage a novel clustering strategy via edge concentration. Due to its NP-hardness, we devise an efficient and effective heuristic to speed up SimRank* computation to
O
(
Kn
m) time, where m is generally much smaller than
m.
(4) Using real and synthetic data, we empirically verify the rich semantics of SimRank*, and demonstrate its high computation efficiency.
Authenticating top-k queries in location-based services with confidentiality
Authors: Chen Qian , Hu Haibo , Xu Jianliang
Published: May 2015

State-of-the-art location-based services (LBSs) involve data owners, requesting clients, and service providers. As LBSs become new business opportunities, there is an increasing necessity to verify the genuineness of service results. Unfortunately, while traditional query authentication techniques can address this issue, they fail to protect the confidentiality of data, which is sensitive location information when LBSs are concerned. Recent work has studied how to preserve such location privacy in query authentication. However, the prior work is limited to range queries, where private values only appear on one side of the range comparison. In this paper, we address the more challenging authentication problem on top-k queries, where private values appear on both sides of a comparison. To start with, we propose two novel cryptographic building blocks, followed by a comprehensive design of authentication schemes for top-k queries based on
R
-tree and
Power Diagram
indexes. Optimizations, security analysis, and experimental results consistently show the effectiveness and robustness of the proposed schemes under various system settings and query workloads.
Attraction and avoidance detection from movements
Authors: Li Zhenhui , Ding Bolin , Wu Fei , Lei Tobias Kin Hou , Kays Roland , Crofoot Margaret C.
Published: May 2015

With the development of positioning technology, movement data has become widely available nowadays. An important task in movement data analysis is to mine the relationships among moving objects based on their spatiotemporal interactions. Among all relationship types, attraction and avoidance are arguably the most natural ones. However, rather surprisingly, there is no existing method that addresses the problem of mining significant attraction and avoidance relationships in a well-defined and unified framework.

In this paper, we propose a novel method to measure the significance value of relationship between any two objects by examining the background model of their movements via permutation test. Since permutation test is computationally expensive, two effective pruning strategies are developed to reduce the computation time. Furthermore, we show how the proposed method can be extended to efficiently answer the classic threshold query: given an object, retrieve all the objects in the database that have relationships, whose significance values are above certain threshold, with the query object. Empirical studies on both synthetic data and real movement data demonstrate the effectiveness and efficiency of our method.
A partition-based approach to structure similarity search
Authors: Zhao Xiang , Xiao Chuan , Lin Xuemin , Liu Qing , Zhang Wenjie
Published: May 2015

Graphs are widely used to model complex data in many applications, such as bioinformatics, chemistry, social networks, pattern recognition, etc. A fundamental and critical query primitive is to efficiently search similar structures in a large collection of graphs. This paper studies the graph similarity queries with edit distance constraints. Existing solutions to the problem utilize
fixed-size overlapping
substructures to generate candidates, and thus become susceptible to large vertex degrees or large distance thresholds. In this paper, we present a partition-based approach to tackle the problem. By dividing data graphs into
variable-size non-overlapping
partitions, the edit distance constraint is converted to a graph containment constraint for candidate generation. We develop efficient query processing algorithms based on the new paradigm. A candidate pruning technique and an improved graph edit distance algorithm are also developed to further boost the performance. In addition, a cost-aware graph partitioning technique is devised to optimize the index. Extensive experiments demonstrate our approach significantly outperforms existing approaches.
Delta
Authors: Karanasos Konstantinos , Katsifodimos Asterios , Manolescu Ioana
Published: May 2015

In content-based publish-subscribe (pub/sub) systems, users express their interests as queries over a stream of publications. Scaling up content-based pub/sub to very large numbers of subscriptions is challenging: users are interested in low
latency
, that is, getting subscription results fast, while the pub/sub system provider is mostly interested in
scaling
, i.e., being able to serve large numbers of subscribers, with low
computational resources utilization.

We present a novel approach for scalable content-based pub/sub in the presence of constraints on the available CPU and network resources, implemented within our pub/sub system Delta. We achieve scalability by off-loading some subscriptions from the pub/sub server, and leveraging view-based query rewriting to feed these subscriptions from the data accumulated in others. Our main contribution is a novel algorithm for organizing views in a multi-level dissemination network, exploiting view-based rewriting and powerful linear programming capabilities to scale to many views, respect capacity constraints, and minimize latency. The efficiency and effectiveness of our algorithm are confirmed through extensive experiments and a large deployment in a WAN.
Optimization for iterative queries on MapReduce
Authors: Onizuka Makoto , Kato Hiroyuki , Hidaka Soichiro , Nakano Keisuke , Hu Zhenjiang
Published: May 2015

We propose OptIQ, a query optimization approach for iterative queries in distributed environment. OptIQ removes redundant computations among different iterations by extending the traditional techniques of view materialization and incremental view evaluation. First, OptIQ decomposes iterative queries into invariant and variant views, and materializes the former view. Redundant computations are removed by reusing the materialized view among iterations. Second, OptIQ incrementally evaluates the variant view, so that redundant computations are removed by skipping the evaluation on converged tuples in the variant view. We verify the effectiveness of OptIQ through the queries of PageRank and k-means clustering on real datasets. The results show that OptIQ achieves high efficiency, up to five times faster than is possible without removing the redundant computations among iterations.
Willingness optimization for social group activity
Authors: Shuai Hong-Han , Yang De-Nian , Yu Philip S. , Chen Ming-Syan
Published: May 2015

Studies show that a person is willing to join a social group activity if the activity is interesting, and if some close friends also join the activity as companions. The literature has demonstrated that the interests of a person and the social tightness among friends can be effectively derived and mined from social networking websites. However, even with the above two kinds of information widely available, social group activities still need to be coordinated manually, and the process is tedious and time-consuming for users, especially for a large social group activity, due to complications of social connectivity and the diversity of possible interests among friends. To address the above important need, this paper proposes to automatically select and recommend potential attendees of a social group activity, which could be very useful for social networking websites as a value-added service. We first formulate a new problem, named Willingness mAximization for Social grOup (WASO). This paper points out that the solution obtained by a greedy algorithm is likely to be trapped in a local optimal solution. Thus, we design a new randomized algorithm to effectively and efficiently solve the problem. Given the available computational budgets, the proposed algorithm is able to optimally allocate the resources and find a solution with an approximation ratio. We implement the proposed algorithm in Facebook, and the user study demonstrates that social groups obtained by the proposed algorithm significantly outperform the solutions manually configured by users.
Exemplar queries
Authors: Mottin Davide , Lissandrini Matteo , Velegrakis Yannis , Palpanas Themis
Published: May 2015

Search engines are continuously employing advanced techniques that aim to capture user intentions and provide results that go beyond the data that simply satisfy the query conditions. Examples include the personalized results, related searches, similarity search, popular and relaxed queries. In this work we introduce a novel query paradigm that considers a user query as an example of the data in which the user is interested. We call these queries
exemplar queries
and claim that they can play an important role in dealing with the information deluge. We provide a formal specification of the semantics of such queries and show that they are fundamentally different from notions like queries by example, approximate and related queries. We provide an implementation of these semantics for graph-based data and present an exact solution with a number of optimizations that improve performance without compromising the quality of the answers. We also provide an approximate solution that prunes the search space and achieves considerably better time-performance with minimal or no impact on effectiveness. We experimentally evaluate the effectiveness and efficiency of these solutions with synthetic and real datasets, and illustrate the usefulness of exemplar queries in practice.
Computing k-regret minimizing sets
Authors: Chester Sean , Thomo Alex , Venkatesh S. , Whitesides Sue
Published: May 2015

Regret minimizing sets are a recent approach to representing a dataset
D
by a small subset
R
of size
r
of representative data points. The set
R
is chosen such that executing any top-1 query on
R
rather than
D
is minimally perceptible to any user. However, such a subset
R
may not exist, even for modest sizes,
r.
In this paper, we introduce the relaxation to
k
-regret minimizing sets, whereby a top-1 query on
R
returns a result imperceptibly close to the top-
k
on
D.

We show that, in general, with or without the relaxation, this problem is NP-hard. For the specific case of two dimensions, we give an efficient dynamic programming, plane sweep algorithm based on geometric duality to find an optimal solution. For arbitrary dimension, we give an empirically effective, greedy, randomized algorithm based on linear programming. With these algorithms, we can find subsets
R
of much smaller size that better summarize
D
, using small values of
k
larger than 1.