bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Effects of Asymmetric Latent Heating on Typhoon Movement Crossing Taiwan: The Case of Morakot (2009) with Extreme Rainfall
Authors: Wang Chung-Chieh , Kuo Hung-Chi , Chen Yu-Han , Huang Hsiao-Ling , Chung Chao-Hsuan , Tsuboki Kazuhisa
Published: July 2012

Typhoon Morakot struck Taiwan during 6–9 August 2009, and it produced the highest rainfall (approaching 3000 mm) and caused the worst damage in the past 50 yr. Typhoon–monsoon flow interactions with mesoscale convection, the water vapor supply by the monsoon flow, and the slow moving speed of the storm are the main reasons for the record-breaking precipitation. Analysis of the typhoon track reveals that the steering flow, although indeed slow, still exceeded the typhoon moving speed by approximately 5 km h−1 (1 km h−1 = 0.28 m s−1) during the postlandfall period on 8 August, when the rainfall was the heaviest. The Cloud-Resolving Storm Simulator (CReSS) is used to study the dynamics of the slow storm motion toward the north-northwest upon leaving Taiwan. The control simulations with 3-km grid size compare favorably with the observations, including the track, slow speed, asymmetric precipitation pattern, mesoscale convection, and rainfall distribution over Taiwan. Sensitivity tests with reduced moisture content reveal that not only did the model rainfall decrease but also the typhoon translation speed increased. Specifically, the simulations consistently show a discernible impact on storm motion by as much as 50%, as the storms with full moisture move slower (~5 km h−1), while those with limited moisture (≤25%) move faster (~10 km h−1). Thus, in addition to a weak steering flow, the prolonged asymmetric precipitation in Typhoon Morakot also contributed to its very slow motion upon leaving Taiwan, and both lengthened the heavy-rainfall period and increased the total rainfall amount. The implications of a realistic representation of cloud microphysics from the standpoint of tropical cyclone track forecasts are also briefly discussed.
Comparisons of Clear-Sky Outgoing Far-IR Flux Inferred from Satellite Observations and Computed from the Three Most Recent Reanalysis Products
Authors: Chen Xiuhong , Huang Xianglei , Loeb Norman G. , Wei Heli
Published: July 2012

The far-IR spectrum plays an important role in the earth’s radiation budget and remote sensing. The authors compare the near-global (80°S–80°N) outgoing clear-sky far-IR flux inferred from the collocated Atmospheric Infrared Sounder (AIRS) and Clouds and the Earth’s Radiant Energy System (CERES) observations in 2004 with the counterparts computed from reanalysis datasets subsampled along the same satellite trajectories. The three most recent reanalyses are examined: the ECMWF Interim Re-Analysis (ERA-Interim), NASA Modern-Era Retrospective Analysis for Research and Application (MERRA), and NOAA/NCEP Climate Forecast System Reanalysis (CFSR). Following a previous study by X. Huang et al., clear-sky spectral angular distribution models (ADMs) are developed for five of the CERES land surface scene types as well as for the extratropical oceans. The outgoing longwave radiation (OLR) directly estimated from the AIRS radiances using the authors’ algorithm agrees well with the OLR in the collocated CERES Single Satellite Footprint (SSF) dataset. The daytime difference is 0.96 ±2.02 W m−2, and the nighttime difference is 0.86 ±1.61 W m−2. To a large extent, the far-IR flux derived in this way agrees with those directly computed from three reanalyses. The near-global averaged differences between reanalyses and observations tend to be slightly positive (0.66%–1.15%) over 0–400 cm−1 and slightly negative (−0.89% to −0.44%) over 400–600 cm−1. For all three reanalyses, the spatial distributions of such differences show the largest discrepancies over the high-elevation areas during the daytime but not during the nighttime, suggesting discrepancies in the diurnal variation of such areas among different datasets. The composite differences with respect to temperature or precipitable water suggest large discrepancies for cold and humid scenes.
‘Cooling out’ victims of crime: Managing victim participation in the sentencing process in a superior sentencing court
Authors: Booth Tracey
Published: July 2012

Victim participation in the sentencing hearing by way of oral victim impact statements (VISs) is a contentious aspect of contemporary criminal justice. A particular concern is that the disjuncture between the legal goals of the sentencing hearing on the one hand and the goals of victims on the other can generate tension and conflict in the courtroom and threaten the integrity of the process. The subject of this article is the management and containment of victim participation in 18 sentencing hearings observed in the NSW Supreme Court. It is argued that various cooling out structures and processes effectively managed and contained the emotional tension in the courtroom as well as assisted victims to adjust to the legal constraints and the compromise inherent in their position in the process.
Multidimensionality and Structural Coefficient Bias in Structural Equation Modeling
Authors: Reise Steven P. , Scheines Richard , Widaman Keith F. , Haviland Mark G.
Published: July 2012

In this study, the authors consider several indices to indicate whether multidimensional data are “unidimensional enough” to fit with a unidimensional measurement model, especially when the goal is to avoid excessive bias in structural parameter estimates. They examine two factor strength indices (the explained common variance and omega hierarchical) and several model fit indices (root mean square error of approximation, comparative fit index, and standardized root mean square residual). These statistics are compared in population correlation matrices determined by known bifactor structures that vary on the (a) relative strength of general and group factor loadings, (b) number of group factors, and (c) number of items or indicators. When fit with a unidimensional measurement model, the degree of structural coefficient bias depends strongly and inversely on explained common variance, but its effects are moderated by the percentage of correlations uncontaminated by multidimensionality, a statistic that rises combinatorially with the number of group factors. When the percentage of uncontaminated correlations is high, structural coefficients are relatively unbiased even when general factor strength is low relative to group factor strength. On the other hand, popular structural equation modeling fit indices such as comparative fit index or standardized root mean square residual routinely reject unidimensional measurement models even in contexts in which the structural coefficient bias is low. In general, such statistics cannot be used to predict the magnitude of structural coefficient bias.
Bibliometric Analysis of Health Services Research in Otolaryngology Journals
Authors: Sun Gordon H.
Published: July 2012

Objective

Determine current health services research (HSR) publication trends in major general otolaryngology journals.

Study Design

Bibliometric analysis.

Methods

All main issues of 8 high‐impact general‐interest otolaryngology journals published worldwide in 2002, 2005, 2008, and 2011 were searched for HSR‐related publications. To qualify as HSR, the abstract of the article must discuss access to care, cost, delivery of care, financing, health organizational or system issues, quality of care, resource utilization, and/or health outcomes. Otolaryngology topics were classified as general, pediatrics, oncology, otology and neurotology, sleep disorders, sinonasal disease, facial plastics, and/or laryngology. Other key measures included study authorship and external sponsorship or mechanism of support.

Results

Of 5958 total articles, 449 (7.5%) qualified as HSR. There was a statistically significant increase in the number of HSR publications across all journals from 2002 to 2011 (P <. 001). Outcomes research (337, 75.1%) was the most common type of HSR being published. The most common subject was oncology (112, 24.9%), whereas the least represented was trauma and facial plastics (4, 0.9%). First and corresponding authors were based in 31 countries, although the United States was the predominant country of origin. Nearly 95% of HSR articles in the current sample demonstrated multidisciplinary authorship. An estimated 22.9% of first authors and 17.8% of corresponding authors were female. Two‐thirds of HSR publications reported no external sponsor, whereas the remainder was supported most commonly by philanthropy and hospital‐based sources.

Conclusion

Health services research is an international, multidisciplinary field of inquiry with an increasing presence in major otolaryngology journals.
Clinical Features of Recurrent or Persistent Benign Paroxysmal Positional Vertigo
Authors: Choi Seong Jun , Lee Jong Bin , Lim Hye Jin , Park Hun Yi , Park Keehyun , In Seung Min , Oh Jeong Hyun , Choung Yun‐Hoon
Published: July 2012

Objectives

To identify clinical features and causes of recurrent or persistent benign paroxysmal positional vertigo (BPPV) and to analyze the effectiveness of frequently repeated canalith repositioning procedures (CRPs).

Study Design

Case series with chart review.

Setting

Academic university hospital.

Methods

The authors retrospectively reviewed the clinical records of 120 patients who were diagnosed with BPPV at the Dizziness Clinic in Ajou University Hospital, Korea, between 2004 and 2008. “Persistent” and “recurrent” BPPV were respectively defined as BPPV continuing more than 2 weeks and recurring BPPV in the same canals after at least 2 weeks of a symptom‐free interval following previous successful treatments. The authors treated patients with frequently repeated CRPs such as the modified Epley maneuver or a barbecue rotation every 2 or 3 days in the outpatient clinic.

Results

Among 120 patients with BPPV, 93 (77.5%) were typical, 15 (12.5%) were persistent, and 12 (10.0%) were recurrent. Although the most common cause was idiopathic in both recurrent and persistent BPPV, secondary causes, including trauma, were much more common in recurrent and persistent BPPV than in typical BPPV. Typical and recurrent BPPV developed most commonly in the posterior semicircular canals. Persistent BPPV was most commonly detected in the lateral semicircular canals. After frequently repeated CRPs, 91.7% and 86.7% of the patients with recurrent or persistent BPPV, respectively, had resolution of nystagmus and vertigo.

Conclusion

Recurrent and persistent BPPV are not rare diseases and occur with a higher incidence than expected, especially in patients with secondary causes. However, they can be successfully treated with frequently repeated CRPs.
Effect of alkali treatment on vibration characteristics and mechanical properties of natural fabric reinforced composites
Authors: Yan Libo
Published: July 2012

In this article, the effect of alkali treatment (with 5 wt. % sodium hydroxide solution for 30 min) on the compressive, in-plane shear, impact properties and vibration characteristics of flax- and linen-fabric reinforced epoxy composites was investigated. Test results show that alkali treatment enhanced the compressive strength and compressive modulus, in-plane shear strength and shear modulus, and specific impact strength of both flax- and linen-epoxy composites. However, after the treatment, the impact strength and damping ratio of the flax and linen composites decreased. The reduction in impact strength and damping ratio is believed to be attributed to the improved fibre/matrix interfacial adhesion, as analysed by scanning electron microscope.
Comparisons of static bending and fatigue damage between 3D angle-interlock and 3D orthogonal woven composites
Authors: Jin Limin , Niu Zhilin , Jin Bo Cheng , Sun Baozhong , Gu Bohong
Published: July 2012

This paper presents the comparisons of quasi-static three-point bending and fatigue damage behaviors between the three-dimensional angle-interlock woven composite and the three-dimensional orthogonal woven composite. The stress–deflection curves and failure modes were recorded to compare both composites’ mechanical properties under quasi-static bending loading condition. The S-N curves were obtained to demonstrate the comparison of fatigue life under various stress levels between three-dimensional angle-interlock woven composite and three-dimensional orthogonal woven composite. In addition, the damage indexes versus number of cycles (D-N) curves were given to characterize the three-stage cumulative fatigue damage evolution of both types of textile structural composites. Furthermore, the ultimate damage morphologies were compared to deduce the structural effects of the composites under three-point bending cyclic loading condition.
Global modelling of fire protection performance of an intumescent coating under different furnace fire conditions
Authors: Zhang Yong , Wang Yong C , Bailey Colin G , Taylor Andrew P
Published: July 2012

This article presents a method to model the overall fire protection performance of an intumescent coating under different post-flashover furnace fire conditions. Intumescent coatings are reactive fire protection materials, and their fire protection performance, among which the maximum expansion ratio is the key indicator, depends on the heating condition. The aim of this research is to find one common set of properties to enable the intumescent coating fire protection performance to be predicted across different heating conditions on the intumescent coating. The obtained properties are implemented in a model to predict the global expansion process of intumescent coating and the protected steel substrate temperature under various furnace temperature–time curves. This model has previously been demonstrated by the authors to provide accurate results for cone calorimeter tests under different levels of radiant heat flux (50 and 65 kW m−2) and with different combinations of steel plate thickness (5, 10 and 20 mm) and intumescent coating dry film thickness (0.4, 0.8 and 1.2 mm). This article will present the experimental results of post-flashover furnace fire tests under different fire temperature–time relationships (slow, fast and standard) for the same combinations of steel plate thickness and dry film thickness as used in the cone calorimeter tests. A comparison between the prediction and experimental results indicates that the steel plate temperature results are typically within 10% and the final expanded thickness within 20% of each other.
Everolimus for Tumor Recurrence After Surgical Resection for Subependymal Giant Cell Astrocytoma Associated With Tuberous Sclerosis Complex
Authors: Franz David Neal , Agricola Karen D. , Tudor Cynthia A. , Krueger Darcy A.
Published: July 2012

A recent phase 1/2 study demonstrated that treatment with the mammalian target of rapamycin inhibitor everolimus reduced subependymal giant cell astrocytoma volume by 30% in 75% of the patients, all of whom were poor candidates for surgical resection. Of the enrolled patients, 4 had had previous surgery to remove subependymal giant cell astrocytoma, and the outcomes for these patients were retrospectively analyzed and are presented here. All 4 experienced over 50% initial reduction in the volume of their subependymal giant cell astrocytoma after 2 to 3 years of therapy with everolimus. Although the volume of 1 patient’s subependymal giant cell astrocytoma returned to baseline volume 36 months after initiating everolimus, they have remained asymptomatic with no recurrent hydrocephalus. Further surgery has been avoided in all cases to date. This course of treatment offers a new and welcome option for these difficult-to-treat patients.
Microstructure, in vitro corrosion and cytotoxicity of Ca-P coatings on ZK60 magnesium alloy prepared by simple chemical conversion and heat treatment
Authors: Li Kaikai , Wang Bing , Yan Biao , Lu Wei
Published: July 2012

Magnesium alloys are potential biodegradable materials for biomedical application. But their poor corrosion resistance may result in premature failure of implants. In this study, to solve this problem, Ca-P coatings were prepared on ZK60 magnesium alloy by a simple chemical conversion process and heat treatment. Surface characterization showed that a flake-like Dicalcium phosphate dihydrate (DCPD) (CaHPO4·2H2O) coating was formed on ZK60 alloy by the chemical conversion process. DCPD transformed into Dicalcium phosphate anhydrous (DCPa) (CaHPO4) and Ca2P2O7 after heat treatment. Results of potentiodynamic polarization showed the corrosion potential of ZK60 was increased from −1666 mV to −1566 mV with DCPD coating, while −1515 mV was obtained after heat treatment. The corrosion current density of ZK60 was measured to be reduced from 35 µA/cm2 to 3.5 µA/cm2 with DCPD coating, while a further reduction to 1 µA/cm2 was observed after heat treatment. This indicated that the coatings improved the substrate corrosion resistance significantly, and apparently, the heat-treated coating had a higher corrosion resistance. Immersion test demonstrated that both the coatings could provide protection for the substrate and the heat-treated coating could induce deposition of bone-like apatite. Cytotoxicity evaluation revealed that none of the samples induced toxicity to L-929 cells after 1- and 3-day culture. The cytocompatibility of ZK60 was improved by the coatings, with the following sequence: uncoated ZK60 < DCPD-coated ZK60 < heat-treated coating.
Collaborative Regionalism and Foreign Direct Investment
Authors: Jacobs A. J.
Published: July 2012

Jurisdictions in the Southeast Automotive Core (SEAC), encompassing Alabama, Georgia, Mississippi, South Carolina, and Tennessee, have attracted 8 of the 11 light vehicles assembly plants built by the “New Domestics” in the United States over the past 20 years (i.e., Toyota, Honda, Nissan, Hyundai, Volkswagen, Mercedes, and BMW). Through case studies of the Toyota-PUL Alliance of Northeast Mississippi and the Hyundai-Kia Auto Valley Partnership of east-central Alabama and west-central Georgia, this article chronicles how by working together, certain subregions within the SEAC have gained a comparative advantage in their competitions for New Domestics Foreign Direct Investment. Overall, the findings of this study show how local governments in the form of the collaborative region still can be an important economic development agent within an ever-globalizing economy. As a result, this article should prove informative to development scholars and practitioners in the United States and Canada, especially in areas combating economic/fiscal distress.
The role of leaders in enabling student voice
Authors: Mitra Dana , Serriere Stephanie , Stoicovy Donnan
Published: July 2012

This article explores how leadership can help to enable student voice to occur in schools. We find that the relationship between teachers and the school leader is a critical context for enabling voice. Specifically, we find that the following concepts were important for efforts to enable and foster student voice: (1) clear vision of school that is incorporated deeply into practice as ‘the way we do things here’; (2) allowing opt-in strategies for teachers when possible; (3) recognizing that implementation across classrooms and personnel will vary depending on individual contexts, beliefs, and experiences.
Relationships for learning: using pupil voice to define teacher−pupil relationships that enhance pupil engagement
Authors: Marsh Helena
Published: July 2012

This paper is a summary of a pupil voice research project conducted to investigate the influence that teacher−pupil relationships have on pupils’ feelings of engagement with their school. The study involved two year groups (12−13 and 14−15 year olds) in a rural secondary school in Cambridgeshire. Data sources were collected through a questionnaire and follow-up focus groups and pupil interviews to explore pupils’ opinions and experiences of learning relationships and their impact. Findings include pupils’ identification of the features of effective teacher−pupil relationships and their perspectives on how these have a positive influence on their levels of motivation and engagement at school.
A Study of Ad Hoc Network Performance in Disaster Response
Authors: Nolte Isabella M. , Boenigk Silke
Published: July 2012

Management problems are prevalent within ad hoc networks of public and nonprofit organizations that engage in disaster relief. This study explores the enabling factors that have an impact on the performance of public-nonprofit networks during disaster response and outcome factors that are influenced by the network performance. A survey is conducted among 288 disaster managers and analyzed by Partial Least Squares (PLS). The analysis reveals that a general openness to collaborate, collaboration experience, mutuality, and coordination have a strong impact on the performance of public-nonprofit networks. The network performance highly influences the long-term outcomes of a disaster response. The whole network of organizations can be strengthened and single organizations can acquire new knowledge. The results of this study help to derive implications for the management of public and nonprofit organizations active in disaster management operations.
Nonprofits and Business
Authors: Harris Margaret
Published: July 2012

Although the field of nonprofit studies now encompasses a substantial body of literature on the relationship between governmental and nonprofit organizations, the relationship between the business and nonprofit sectors has been less addressed by specialist nonprofit scholars. This Research Note aims to encourage further studies by nonprofit scholars of the business-nonprofit sector relationship. It looks at descriptive evidence to date, proposes a tentative resource-based framework for understanding how nonprofits and business relate to each other in practice and suggests some initial directions for developing a subfield within nonprofit studies.
In time, out of time Rhythmanalyzing ferry mobilities
Authors: Vannini Phillip
Published: July 2012

In what ways do paces of movement shape places, and how do different places shape their movements’ paces? The objective of this paper is to provide exploratory answers to these questions by focusing on the mobility constellations of ferry-dependent islands and coastal communities of Canada’s west coast. I focus on the slower temporalities and spatialities of mechanized technologies of mobility by drawing upon research conducted for a larger ethnographic project aimed at understanding the multiple roles played by ferry mobilities in the lives of British Columbia’s ferry-dependent islands and coastal residents. Boats’ rhythms, speed, and the duration of journeys occasion the conditions for the cultivation of an empirically unique region-specific sense of time. Within this ethnographic context ferry boats serve as technologies through which residents of island and coastal communities weave distinct place temporalities and mobility constellations. Islanders and coasters employ the affordances of ferries to break away from the place temporalities typical of the city. Such movement toward separation from the urban is what I refer to as moving ‘out of time’. Moving ‘out of time’ is done in order to tune into the alternative insular and coastal temporal regimes deemed more desirable by the locals. Such movement toward attunement is what I refer to as moving ‘in time’.
Comparison of serum treatments to remove nonspecific inhibitors from chicken sera for the hemagglutination inhibition test with inactivated H5N1 and H9N2 avian Influenza A virus subtypes
Authors: Kim Hye-Ryoung , Lee Kyoung-Ki , Kwon Yong-Kuk , Kang Min-Su , Moon Oun-Kyung , Park Choi-Kyu
Published: July 2012

The hemagglutination inhibition (HI) assay is the standard diagnostic test for detection of antibodies to avian influenza viruses. It is well known that chicken serum does not require additional serum pretreatment to remove nonspecific inhibitors (NSIs). However, NSIs were recognized in certain Korean local breeds. In the present study, various treatments were compared to remove such NSIs. Heat treatment, red blood cell adsorption, and kaolin treatment did not remove NSIs effectively, and treatment with periodate only partly eliminated the NSIs. Receptor destroying enzyme (RDE) treatment appeared to effectively remove NSIs from chicken sera, regardless of breeds. It is proposed that RDE treatment should be included in the HI tests for serological diagnosis of avian Influenza A virus.
Low-velocity impact damage monitoring of a sandwich composite wing
Authors: Liu Yingtao , Chattopadhyay Aditi
Published: July 2012

Impact damage has been identified as a critical form of defect that constantly threatens the reliability of composite structures, such as those used in aircrafts and naval vessels. Low-energy impacts can introduce barely visible damage and cause structural degradation. Therefore, efficient structural health monitoring methods, which can accurately detect, quantify, and localize impact damage in complex composite structures, are required. In this article, a novel damage detection methodology is demonstrated for monitoring and quantifying the impact damage propagation. Statistical feature matrices, composed of features extracted from the time and frequency domains, are developed. Kernel principal component analysis is used to compress and classify the statistical feature matrices. Compared with traditional principal component analysis algorithm, kernel principal component analysis method shows better feature clustering and damage quantification capabilities. A new damage index, formulated using the Mahalanobis distance, is defined to quantify impact damage. The developed methodology has been validated using low-velocity impact experiments with a sandwich composite wing.
A hybrid, massively parallel implementation of a genetic algorithm for optimization of the impact performance of a metal/polymer composite plate
Authors: Narayanan Kiran , Mora Angel , Allsopp Nicholas , Sayed Tamer El
Published: July 2012

A hybrid parallelization method composed of a coarse-grained genetic algorithm (GA) and fine-grained objective function evaluations is implemented on a heterogeneous computational resource consisting of 16 IBM Blue Gene/P racks, a single x86 cluster node and a high-performance file system. The GA iterator is coupled with a finite-element (FE) analysis code developed in house to facilitate computational steering in order to calculate the optimal impact velocities of a projectile colliding with a polyurea/structural steel composite plate. The FE code is capable of capturing adiabatic shear bands and strain localization, which are typically observed in high-velocity impact applications, and it includes several constitutive models of plasticity, viscoelasticity and viscoplasticity for metals and soft materials, which allow simulation of ductile fracture by void growth. A strong scaling study of the FE code was conducted to determine the optimum number of processes run in parallel. The relative efficiency of the hybrid, multi-level parallelization method is studied in order to determine the parameters for the parallelization. Optimal impact velocities of the projectile calculated using the proposed approach, are reported.
Detecting causality from online psychiatric texts using inter-sentential language patterns
Authors: Wu Jheng-Long , Yu Liang-Chih , Chang Pei-Chann
Published: July 2012

Background

Online psychiatric texts are natural language texts expressing depressive problems, published by Internet users via community-based web services such as web forums, message boards and blogs. Understanding the cause-effect relations embedded in these psychiatric texts can provide insight into the authors’ problems, thus increasing the effectiveness of online psychiatric services.

Methods

Previous studies have proposed the use of word pairs extracted from a set of sentence pairs to identify cause-effect relations between sentences. A word pair is made up of two words, with one coming from the cause text span and the other from the effect text span. Analysis of the relationship between these words can be used to capture individual word associations between cause and effect sentences. For instance, (broke up, life) and (boyfriend, meaningless) are two word pairs extracted from the sentence pair: “I broke up with my boyfriend. Life is now meaningless to me”. The major limitation of word pairs is that individual words in sentences usually cannot reflect the exact meaning of the cause and effect events, and thus may produce semantically incomplete word pairs, as the previous examples show. Therefore, this study proposes the use of inter-sentential language patterns such as ≪broke up, boyfriend>, <life, meaningless≫ to detect causality between sentences. The inter-sentential language patterns can capture associations among multiple words within and between sentences, thus can provide more precise information than word pairs. To acquire inter-sentential language patterns, we develop a text mining framework by extending the classical association rule mining algorithm such that it can discover frequently co-occurring patterns across the sentence boundary.

Results

Performance was evaluated on a corpus of texts collected from PsychPark (http://www.psychpark.org), a virtual psychiatric clinic maintained by a group of volunteer professionals from the Taiwan Association of Mental Health Informatics. Experimental results show that the use of inter-sentential language patterns outperformed the use of word pairs proposed in previous studies.

Conclusions

This study demonstrates the acquisition of inter-sentential language patterns for causality detection from online psychiatric texts. Such semantically more complete and precise features can improve causality detection performance.
Iteration method for predicting essential proteins based on orthology and protein-protein interaction networks
Authors: Peng Wei , Wang Jianxin , Wang Weiping , Liu Qing , Wu Fang-Xiang , Pan Yi
Published: July 2012

Background

Identification of essential proteins plays a significant role in understanding minimal requirements for the cellular survival and development. Many computational methods have been proposed for predicting essential proteins by using the topological features of protein-protein interaction (PPI) networks. However, most of these methods ignored intrinsic biological meaning of proteins. Moreover, PPI data contains many false positives and false negatives. To overcome these limitations, recently many research groups have started to focus on identification of essential proteins by integrating PPI networks with other biological information. However, none of their methods has widely been acknowledged.

Results

By considering the facts that essential proteins are more evolutionarily conserved than nonessential proteins and essential proteins frequently bind each other, we propose an iteration method for predicting essential proteins by integrating the orthology with PPI networks, named by ION. Differently from other methods, ION identifies essential proteins depending on not only the connections between proteins but also their orthologous properties and features of their neighbors. ION is implemented to predict essential proteins in S. cerevisiae. Experimental results show that ION can achieve higher identification accuracy than eight other existing centrality methods in terms of area under the curve (AUC). Moreover, ION identifies a large amount of essential proteins which have been ignored by eight other existing centrality methods because of their low-connectivity. Many proteins ranked in top 100 by ION are both essential and belong to the complexes with certain biological functions. Furthermore, no matter how many reference organisms were selected, ION outperforms all eight other existing centrality methods. While using as many as possible reference organisms can improve the performance of ION. Additionally, ION also shows good prediction performance in E. coli K-12.

Conclusions

The accuracy of predicting essential proteins can be improved by integrating the orthology with PPI networks.
Synovial hemangiohamartoma presenting as knee pain, swelling and a soft tissue mass: a case report
Authors: Senol Serkan , Cift Hakan , Ozkan Korhan , Uygur Esat , Spinelli Maria Silvia
Published: July 2012

Introduction

We present a case of a patient with juxtaarticular hemangiohamartoma with a synovial extension associated with hemorrhagic synovitis and recurrent spontaneous hemarthrosis.

Case presentation

A 21-year-old Caucasian woman was admitted to our hospital complaining of pain and swelling at her knee for 6 months. In the magnetic resonance imaging, T2-weighted and fat-suppressed scans revealed a mass with high signal intensity just posterior to the patellar tendon. We performed an excisional biopsy of the mass through an anterior longitudinal incision. Excised material included arterial and venous vascular structures, which were found to be spread among the fat, connective and peripheral nerve tissues microscopically.

Conclusion

Although hemangiohamartomas are not true neoplasms, they may cause knee pain, swelling and hemarthrosis that warrant surgical resection. This lesion, although rare, should be considered in the differential diagnosis, especially in teenagers and young adults.
Expression of fatty acid and lipid biosynthetic genes in developing endosperm of Jatropha curcas
Authors: Gu Keyu , Yi Chengxin , Tian Dongsheng , Sangha Jatinder Singh , Hong Yan , Yin Zhongchao
Published: July 2012

Background

Temporal and spatial expression of fatty acid and lipid biosynthetic genes are associated with the accumulation of storage lipids in the seeds of oil plants. In jatropha (Jatropha curcas L.), a potential biofuel plant, the storage lipids are mainly synthesized and accumulated in the endosperm of seeds. Although the fatty acid and lipid biosynthetic genes in jatropha have been identified, the expression of these genes at different developing stages of endosperm has not been systemically investigated.

Results

Transmission electron microscopy study revealed that the oil body formation in developing endosperm of jatropha seeds initially appeared at 28 days after fertilization (DAF), was actively developed at 42 DAF and reached to the maximum number and size at 56 DAF. Sixty-eight genes that encode enzymes, proteins or their subunits involved in fatty acid and lipid biosynthesis were identified from a normalized cDNA library of jatropha developing endosperm. Gene expression with quantitative reverse-transcription polymerase chain reaction analysis demonstrated that the 68 genes could be collectively grouped into five categories based on the patterns of relative expression of the genes during endosperm development. Category I has 47 genes and they displayed a bell-shaped expression pattern with the peak expression at 28 or 42 DAF, but low expression at 14 and 56 DAF. Category II contains 8 genes and expression of the 8 genes was constantly increased from 14 to 56 DAF. Category III comprises of 2 genes and both genes were constitutively expressed throughout endosperm development. Category IV has 9 genes and they showed a high expression at 14 and 28 DAF, but a decreased expression from 42 to 56 DAF. Category V consists of 2 genes and both genes showed a medium expression at 14 DAF, the lowest expression at 28 or 42 DAF, and the highest expression at 56 DAF. In addition, genes encoding enzymes or proteins with similar function were differentially expressed during endosperm development.

Conclusion

The formation of oil bodies in jatropha endosperm is developmentally regulated. The expression of the majority of fatty acid and lipid biosynthetic genes is highly consistent with the development of oil bodies and endosperm in jatropha seeds, while the genes encoding enzymes with similar function may be differentially expressed during endosperm development. These results not only provide the initial information on spatial and temporal expression of fatty acid and lipid biosynthetic genes in jatropha developing endosperm, but are also valuable to identify the rate-limiting genes for storage lipid biosynthesis and accumulation during seed development.
Ultrasound detection of colonic polyps: perspective
Authors: Kuzmich S , Harvey C J , Kuzmich T , Tan K L
Published: July 2012

Colorectal cancer is often preventable if the precursor adenoma is detected and removed. Although ultrasound is clearly not one of the widely accepted screening techniques, this non-invasive and radiation-free modality is also capable of detecting colonic polyps, both benign and malignant. Such colon lesions may be encountered when not expected, usually during general abdominal sonography. The discovery of large colonic polyps is important and can potentially help reduce the incidence of a common cancer, whereas detection of a malignant polyp at an early stage may result in a curative intervention. This pictorial review highlights our experience of sonographic detection of colonic polyps in 43 adult patients encountered at our institutions over a 2-year period. 4 out of 50 discovered polyps were found to be malignant lesions, 3 polyps were hyperplastic, 1 polyp was a hamartomatous polyp and the rest were benign adenomas. The smallest of the detected polyps was 1.3 cm in diameter, the largest one was 4.0 cm (mean 1.7 cm; median 1.6 cm). In each case, polyps were discovered during a routine abdominal or pelvic examination, particularly when scanning was supplemented by a brief focused sonographic inspection of the colon with a 6–10 MHz linear transducer. In this paper, we illustrate the key sonographic features of different types of commonly encountered colonic polyps in the hope of encouraging more observers to detect these lesions, which may be subtle.
Evaluation of Potential Interactions between Mycophenolic Acid Derivatives and Proton Pump Inhibitors
Authors: Gabardi Steven , Olyaei Ali
Published: July 2012

OBJECTIVE:

To evaluate the incidence of gastrointestinal (GI) complications in solid organ transplant (SOT) recipients, impact of the complications on transplant outcomes, and the potential interactions between mycophenolic acid (MPA) derivatives and proton pump inhibitors (PPIs).

DATA SOURCES:

An unrestricted literature search (1980-January 2012) was performed with MEDLINE and EMBASE using the following key words: drug-drug interaction, enteric-coated mycophenolic acid, GI complications, mycophenolate mofetil, solid organ transplant, and proton pump inhibitor, including individual agents within the class. Abstracts from scientific meetings were also evaluated. Additionally, reference citations from identified publications were reviewed.

STUDY SELECTION AND DATA EXTRACTION:

Relevant English-language, original research articles and review articles were evaluated if they focused on any of the topics identified in the search or included substantial content addressing GI complications in SOT recipients or drug interactions.

DATA SYNTHESIS:

GI complications are frequent among SOT recipients, with some studies showing prevalence rates as high as 70%. Transplant outcomes among renal transplant recipients are significantly impacted by GI complications, especially in patients requiring immunosuppressant dosage reductions or premature discontinuation. To this end, PPI use among patients receiving transplants is common. Recent data demonstrate that PPIs significantly reduce the overall exposure to MPA after oral administration of mycophenolate mofetil. Similar studies show this interaction does not exist between PPIs and enteric-coated mycophenolic acid (EC-MPA). Unfortunately, most of the available data evaluating this interaction are pharmacokinetic analyses that do not investigate the clinical impact of this interaction.

CONCLUSIONS:

A significant interaction exists between PPIs and mycophenolate mofetil secondary to reduced dissolution of mycophenolate mofetil in higher pH environments. EC-MPA is not absorbed in the stomach; therefore, low intragastric acidity does not impact EC-MPA and bioavailability is maintained with this formulation during PPI coadministration. The clinical impact of this interaction is unknown, yet one can theorize that reduced exposure to MPA in SOT recipients can increase the risk of allograft rejection and/or failure.
Tecnologia de Informação: competitividade e políticas públicas
Authors: Oliveira Antonio Carlos Manfredini da Cunha
Published: July 2012

A partir de meados do século XIX até início do século XX, a introdução do telégrafo e do telefone, acompanhando o desenvolvimento das estradas de ferro, apoiou o desenvolvimento da empresa industrial e deu origem à empresa de produção em massa, hierarquizada e verticalmente integrada. Esta forma organizacional, extremamente bem-sucedida, resultou, dentre outros fatores, das condições tecnológicas vigentes ao seu tempo. A mudança dessas condições não é isenta de conseqüências: ela interfere na produtividade e na forma como as empresas se organizam, bem como na localização da atividade econômica e, portanto, no processo de atração de novos investimentos.
Risco de taxas de juros: inovações na gestão de ativos e passivos de instituições financeiras
Authors: Alves Mauro F. Halfeld , Moreira José Carlos
Published: July 2012

O artigo procura ampliar a análise da gestão do risco de taxa de juros em instituições financeiras brasileiras. Inicialmente, discute o impacto da volatilidade das taxas de juros sobre os resultados dos bancos, apresentando os conceitos de duração e de convexidade.
Hydrographic and hydrogeological basin of Entre-Ribeiros: probable recharge zone delimitation and environmental impact assessment
Authors: Vasconcelos Vitor V. , Martins Junior Paulo P. , Hadad Renato M.
Published: July 2012

The probable recharge zone delimitation of Entre-Ribeiros Basin (Northwest of the state of Minas Gerais / Brazil) is proposed in this study. The delimitation is based upon stratigraphy, geomorphology, geo-environmental domains and hydrogeology studies. Combining the recharge zone map with the land use variation between 1975 and 2008, the occupation trends of possible recharge zones are identified. Concluding, the environmental impacts for this basin are discussed.
Evapotranspiration and crop coefficient of drip irrigated watermelon in Piaui coastline, Brazil
Authors: Bastos Edson A. , Silva Cláudio R. , Rodrigues Braz H. N. , Andrade Jr. Aderson S. , Ibiapina Lívia M. M.
Published: July 2012

The knowledge of the evapotranspiration (ETc) and crop coefficient (Kc) is fundamental to plan and to manage the irrigation of any crop. The aim of this study was to determine the daily and hourly evapotranspiration of drip irrigated watermelon (Citrullus Lanatus, var. Crimson Sweet) and crop coefficient (Kc) in each crop development phase. The experiment was carried out in an experimental area of 1.27 ha of Embrapa Mid-North, localized in Parnaíba (02°54'S, 41°47'W and 46 m above of sea), State of Piauí, Brazil, from September to November, 2006. Electronic weighing lysimeters of 1.5 m x 1.5 m wide and long and 1.0 m deep were used to obtain the evapotranspiration. The plants were drip irrigated with a lateral row per plant row and drippers spaced 0.5 m from each other. The reference evapotranspiration (ETo) was estimated using the Penman-Monteith equation from the climatic data obtained by electronic sensors. The total evapotranspiration during the watermelon crop cycle cultivated in the state of Piauí was 233.87 mm, with mean values of 3.7 mm day-1, minimum of 1.18 and maximum of 8.14 mm day-1. The Kc of the drip irrigated watermelon was 0.18 in the initial stage of crop growth; 0.18 to 1.3, in crop development stage; 1.3 in the intermediate stage and 0.43 in the final stage.
Comparação das pressões respiratórias máximas entre escolares das redes pública e privada
Authors: Chaves Gabriela Suéllen S. , Campos Tânia Fernandes , Borja Raíssa de Oliveira , Freitas Diana Amélia de , Mendes Raquel Emanuele F. , Parreira Verônica Franco , Mendonça Karla Morganna P. P. de
Published: July 2012

OBJETIVO: Comparar os valores obtidos das pressões inspiratórias máximas (PImáx) e pressões expiratórias máximas (PEmáx) entre estudantes das redes pública e privada de ensino. MÉTODOS: Estudo observacional do tipo descritivo transversal. Foram avaliadas 144 crianças nas duas redes de ensino. As pressões respiratórias máximas foram mensuradas com o MVD300 (Globalmed®). Aplicou-se o teste t de Student não pareado para comparar as médias das variáveis estudadas e o teste do qui-quadrado para comparar a frequência de crianças que realizavam ou não atividade física. RESULTADOS: Os alunos das escolas privadas e públicas apresentaram, respectivamente, média de PImáx 77,0±21,5 e 65,7±18,7cmH2O (p=0,002) e PEmáx 90,1±22,5 e 79,4±19,0cmH2O (p=0,005). Os meninos, das escolas privadas e públicas, apresentaram médias de PImáx 85,0±20,8 e 74,4±17,1cmH2O (p=0,051) e PEmáx 98,5±2,5 e 89,2±16,3cmH2O (p=0,103), respectivamente. As meninas, das escolas privadas e públicas, apresentaram médias de PImáx 70,0±19,8 e 60,2±17,8cmH2O (p=0,027) e PEmáx 82,6±20,0 e 73,2±18,1cmH2O (p=0,035), respectivamente. Aproximadamente 40% dos alunos da rede pública e 95% dos alunos da rede privada realizavam atividade física. As crianças que realizavam ou não atividade física apresentaram PImáx 76,0±20,7 e 63,2±20,0cmH2O (p=0,002) e PEmáx 89±21,6 e 77,4±20,5cmH2O (p=0,006), respectivamente. CONCLUSÕES: A força muscular respiratória dos alunos da rede privada foi significativamente superior à dos alunos da rede pública, especialmente entre as meninas. Possivelmente, essa diferença esteja relacionada à prática de atividade física, mais frequentemente observada nas escolas privadas.
Revisão sistemática das escalas utilizadas para avaliação funcional na doença de Pompe
Authors: Savegnago Alana Karla , Silva Rosângela Maria da , Jonhston Cíntia , Martins Ana Maria , Melo Ana Paula L. de , Carvalho Werther Brunow de
Published: July 2012

OBJETIVO: Identificar as escalas utilizadas para avaliação funcional na doença de Pompe (DP) e descrever seu nível de evidência e recomendação. FONTES DE DADOS: Revisão sistemática sobre as escalas de avaliação funcional na DP. Pesquisa realizada nos bancos de dados Medline, Lilacs, Registro Cochrane de Ensaios Controlados Central (CCTR) e SciELO com artigos (exceto artigos de revisão) publicados entre 2000 e 2010. As palavras-chave utilizadas nos idiomas português e inglês foram: doença de depósito de glicogênio tipo II, atividades cotidianas, avaliação. Os artigos foram classificados em nível de evidência e recomendação. SÍNTESE DOS DADOS: Foram incluídos 14 estudos que avaliaram desde recém-nascidos a adultos (amostra total=449). Foram encontradas as seguintes escalas na literatura: Pediatric Evaluation of Disability Inventory (PEDI) e sua forma adaptada para DP (Pompe-PEDI), Alberta Infant Motor Scale (AIMS), Rotterdam Handiscap Scale (RHS), Functional Independence Measure (FIM), Gross Motor Function Measure (GMFM) e Peabody Developmental Motor Scales (PDMS-II). A maioria dos estudos apresentou nível de evidência III, por serem não randomizados. Grau de recomendação das escalas: C para AIMS e Pompe-PEDI; D para GMFM e PDMS-II; E para RHS e FIM. CONCLUSÕES: A maioria das escalas utilizadas para avaliação funcional na DP apresenta baixo nível de evidência e recomendação. As que apresentam melhor grau de recomendação (C) são as escalas AIMS e Pompe-PEDI aplicadas em Pediatria.