bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
What do providers, payers and patients need from comparative effectiveness research on diagnostics? The case of
HER2
/
Neu
testing in breast cancer
Authors: Trosman Julia R , Weldon Christine B , Schink Julian C , Gradishar William J , Benson Al B
Published: July 2013

Aims:
Comparing effectiveness of diagnostic tests is one of the highest priorities for comparative effectiveness research (CER) set by the Institute of Medicine. Our study aims to identify what information providers, payers and patients need from CER on diagnostics, and what challenges they encounter implementing comparative information on diagnostic alternatives in practice and policy.
Materials & methods:
Using qualitative research methods and the example of two alternative protocols for
HER2
testing in breast cancer, we conducted interviews with 45 stakeholders: providers (n = 25) from four academic and eight nonacademic institutions, executives (n = 13) from five major US private payers and representatives (n = 7) from two breast cancer patient advocacies.
Results:
The need for additional scientific evidence to determine the preferred
HER2
protocol was more common for advocates than payers (100 vs 54%; p = 0.0515) and significantly more common for advocates than providers (100 vs 40%; p = 0.0077). The availability of information allowing assessment of the implementation impact from alternative diagnostic protocols on provider institutions may mitigate the need for additional scientific evidence for some providers and payers (24 and 46%, respectively). The cost–effectiveness of alternative protocols from the societal perspective is important to payers and advocates (69 and 71%, respectively) but not to providers (0%; p = 0.0001 and p = 0.0001). The lack of reporting laboratory practices is a more common implementation challenge for payers and advocates (77 and 86%, respectively) than for providers (32%). The absence of any mechanism for patient involvement was recognized as a challenge by payers and advocates (69 and 100%, respectively) but not by providers (0%; p = 0.0001 and p = 0.0001).
Conclusion:
Comparative implementation research is needed to inform the stakeholders considering diagnostic alternatives. Transparency of laboratory practices is an important factor in enabling implementation of CER on diagnostics in practice and policy. The incongruent views of providers versus patient advocates and payers on involving patients in diagnostic decisions is a concerning challenge to utilizing the results of CER.
Cemented versus cementless total hip arthroplasty: is a hybrid the most cost effective?
Authors: Post Zachary D
Published: July 2013

Evaluation of: Pennington M, Grieve R, Sekhon JS, Gregg P, Black N, van der Meulen JH. Cemented, cementless, and hybrid prostheses for total hip replacement: cost effectiveness analysis.
BMJ
346, f1026 (2013).

Total hip arthroplasty is an extremely successful operation by almost any measure. As the population in the developed world ages, it is also becoming a very popular operation, with nearly 500,000 replacements predicted in the USA by 2030. As more hip replacements need to be performed, the cost will become more of an issue. The debate between the effectiveness of implant types, cemented or cementless, has been ongoing for years. Although largely decided in the USA, in favor of cementless implants, the discussion in the UK continues. There are many studies arguing in favor of implants using cement and for those not using cement. Ultimately, the best implant is the one that is most comfortable in the hands of the surgeon implanting it. Financial factors must be considered, however, and the more information available, the better to help surgeons decide what is best for their patients.
Using proximity to compute semantic relatedness in RDF graphs
Authors: Leal José
Published: July 2013

Extracting the semantic relatedness of terms is an important topic in several
areas, including data mining, information retrieval and web recommendation.
This paper presents an approach for computing the semantic relatedness of
terns in RDF graphs based on the notion of proximity. It proposes a formal
definition of proximity in terms of the set paths connecting two concept
nodes, and an algorithm for finding this set and computing proximity with a
given error margin. This algorithm was implemented on a tool called Shakti
that extracts relevant ontological data for a given domain from DBpedia - a
community effort to extract structured data from the Wikipedia. To validate
the proposed approach Shakti was used to recommend web pages on a Portuguese
social site related to alternative music and the results of that experiment
are also reported.
Model execution: An approach based on extending domain-specific modeling with action reports
Authors: Djukic Verislav , Lukovic Ivan , Popovic Aleksandar , Ivancevic Vladimir
Published: July 2013

In this paper, we present an approach to development and application of
domain-specific modeling (DSM) tools in the model-based management of
business processes. The level of Model-to-Text (M2T) transformations in the
standard architecture for domain-specific modeling solutions is extended with
action reports, which allow synchronization between models, generated code,
and target interpreters. The basic idea behind the approach is to use M2T
transformation languages to construct submodels, client application
components, and operations on target interpreters. In this manner, M2T
transformations may be employed to support not only generation of target
platform code from domain-specific graphical language (DSGL) models but also
straightforward use of models and appropriate DSM tools as client
applications. The applicability of action reports is demonstrated by examples
from document engineering, and measurement and control systems.
Mentalization and autobiographical memory as clinical components of the self and identity
Authors: Dauphin Julie , Lecomte Conrad , Bouchard Marc-André , Cyr Joanne , David Pierre
Published: July 2013

Psychoanalysts have suggested that a mentalization process is required for
the transformation of drives and affects into mental representations of self
and others. Meanwhile, neuroscientists suggest that episodic memory, through
autonoetic consciousness, is crucially involved in the elaboration of the
Self and subjective experience. This research empirically investigates the
relationship between the quality of mentalization and the efficacy of
autobiographical recall, and considers childhood trauma and psychopathology
as possible related factors. Thirty participants presenting with either high
or low mentalization profiles according to the Mental States Rating Systems
(MSRS) were submitted to the TEMPau, a semi-structured interview designed to
assess the quality of autobiographical recall from several criteria
(episodicity, self-perspective and consciousness). Childhood trauma was
assessed using the Childhood Trauma Questionnaire (CTQ). The Symptom
Checklist (SCL- 90-R) and the Structured Clinical Interview for DSM-IV
Personality Disorders (SCID-II) were used to assess global symptomatology and
Axis-II disorders respectively. As expected, levels of mentalization are
related to higher levels of childhood abuse (emotional, physical and sexual)
and symptomatology (SCL-90-R Global Severity Index). However, contrary to our
expectation, better autobiographical memory is associated with poor
mentalization profiles, although spontaneity of recall is less efficient in
those subjects. No significant relation was found between Axis-II disorders
and traits, and other clinical variables.
Activation of the attachment system and mentalization in depressive and healthy individuals: An experimental control study
Authors: Fizke Ella , Buchheim Anna , Juen Florian
Published: July 2013

From a developmental and clinical point of view attachment theory and
mentalization are closely connected and have become increasingly important to
understand the origins of psychopathological development. However, very
little is known about how exactly different inner working models of
attachment are related to diverse mentalizing abilities and this is
particularly true for adult populations - healthy as well as clinical
populations. In the present study we investigated this relation with a sample
of inpatients diagnosed with depression and a sample of healthy individuals.
In an experimental setting the attachment system was activated using the
Adult Attachment Projective Picture System (AAP). Mentalization was assessed
during activation and in comparison to a control condition using a modified
version of the Reading the Mind in the Eyes Test (RMET). We expected that an
activation of the attachment system i) diminishes the capacity to take
another?s perspective in individuals with unresolved state of mind, ii) has
no impact in individuals with secure attachment representation and iii) is
dependent of clinical status in individuals with insecure (but organized)
working models of attachment. Overall, these hypotheses were confirmed.
However, the impact of clinical status on mentalization in insecure
attachment has to be further explored. We summarize that attachment state of
mind has a mediating influence on mentalization basically in such situations
where the attachment system is activated.
Mentalization mediates the relation between early traumatic experiences and aggressive behavior in adolescence
Authors: Taubner Svenja , Curth Christian
Published: July 2013

The aim of the study was to examine whether mentalization serves as a
protective factor against aggressive behavior in adolescence in the context
of early traumatization. We present data from a non-clinical sample of
adolescents from Germany (n=97) and calculate a mediation model to test the
link between early traumatic experiences and aggressive behavior with
mentalizing skills as a mediator. Mentalization was assessed with the
Reflective Functioning Scale on the Adult-Attachment-Interview and aggressive
behavior was measured with the Reactive-Proactive-Aggression-Questionnaire.
Traumatic experience was operationalized as physical and/or sexual abuse as
reported in the Childhood Experience of Care and Abuse Questionnaire. Results
show a complete mediation for Reflective Functioning on the relationship
between early abuse and aggressive behavior. Thus, the findings of the study
support an understanding of mentalizing as a protective factor for the
relationship between early abusive experience and the development of
aggressive behavior. Clinical implications are discussed.
Corticotomy-assisted molar protraction with the aid of temporary anchorage device
Authors: Uribe Flavio , Janakiraman Nandakumar , Fattal Amine N. , Schincaglia Gian Pietro , Nanda Ravindra
Published: July 2013

This case report describes the interdisciplinary management of a 58-year-old woman who was missing lower first molars and supraerupted maxillary first molars. The treatment plan included intrusion of the upper first molars and corticotomy-assisted mandibular second molar protraction with the aid of temporary anchorage devices. Miniscrews were effective in intrusion of the maxillary first molars and protraction of the lower second molars. Although good functional outcome was achieved in 41 months, the corticotomy-assisted procedure did not significantly reduce the treatment time.
Registration of Partially Converted Germplasm from 44 Accessions of the USDA‐ARS Ethiopian and Sudanese Sorghum Collections
Authors: Klein R. R. , Miller F. R. , Klein P. E. , Burke J. J.
Published: July 2013

Forty‐four sources of late‐maturing sorghum [Sorghum bicolor (L.) Moench] germplasm registered with National Plant Germplasm System as genetic stocks (Reg. No. GS‐655, PI 665639 to Reg. No. GS‐698, PI 665682) were converted to early‐maturing, dwarf‐height F3 families and were released by the National Sorghum Foundation, the United Sorghum Checkoff Program, the USDA‐ARS, and MMR Genetics in 2012. The sorghum working groups represented in these partially converted materials include zerazera, caudatum, caudatum‐kafir, caudatum‐guineense, caudatum‐nigricans, caudatum‐durra, nandyal, durra, durra‐kafir, and durra‐bicolor. Conversion was accomplished by crossing photoperiod‐sensitive tropical accessions to elite line BTx406 during the winter in Puerto Vallarta, Mexico with selection of early‐maturing, short (generally 2‐ or 3‐dwarf) genotypes within F2 segregating populations under long‐day, summer conditions in Vega, TX. Early‐flowering short F2 selections were genotyped by sequencing, and five F2 plants with the greatest proportion of the exotic genome from each accession were selfed in Puerto Vallarta. The resulting F2:3 germplasm families, RSC02‐3sel(bulk) to RSC149‐3sel(bulk), represent new sources of germplasm from the USDA‐ARS collection of a height and maturity readily usable to temperate‐zone areas of the world. This germplasm will be useful in breeding programs by providing new genetic diversity from tropical accessions currently not available for use in hybrids.
Registration of ‘CP 05‐1526’ Sugarcane
Authors: Zhao Duli , Comstock Jack C. , Glaz Barry , Edmé Serge J. , Davidson R. Wayne , Gilbert Robert A. , Glynn Neil C. , Sood Sushma , Sandhu Hardev S. , McCorkle Katherine , Miller Jimmy D. , Tai Peter Y.P.
Published: July 2013

‘CP 05‐1526’ (Reg. No. CV‐155, PI 667554) sugarcane (a complex hybrid of Saccharum spp.) was developed through cooperative research conducted by the USDA‐ARS, the University of Florida, and the Florida Sugar Cane League, Inc., and released to growers for organic (muck) and sand soils in Florida in October 2012. CP 05‐1526 was selected from the cross CP 98‐1029 × CP 88‐1162 made at Canal Point, FL in December 2002. The female parent (CP 98‐1029) is a sugarcane cultivar released for commercial use in Florida in 2005. The male parent (CP 88‐1162) is an experimental clone of the Canal Point sugarcane breeding and cultivar selection program. CP 05‐1526 was released because of its high cane and sucrose yields and acceptable commercial recoverable sucrose on both muck and sand soils, and its acceptable levels of resistance to brown rust (caused by Puccinia melanocephala H. & P. Sydow), orange rust (caused by Puccinia kuehnii E.J. Butler), leaf scald (caused by Xanthomonas albilineans Ashby, Dowson), Sugarcane mosaic virus strain E (mosaic), ratoon stunt (caused by Leifsonia xyli subsp. xyli Evtsuhenko et al.), and smut (caused by Ustilago scitaminea H. & P. Sydow) in Florida. CP 05‐1526 has an intermediate level of freeze tolerance based on its relative rank of 11 in 22 genotypes tested and analyzed for temporal sucrose deterioration under field conditions.
Registration of a Male Fertility Restorer Oilseed Sunflower Germplasm, HA‐R9, Resistant to Sunflower Rust
Authors: Qi L. L. , Seiler G. J.
Published: July 2013

The sunflower (Helianthus annuus L.) germplasm HA‐R9 (Reg. No. GP‐326, PI 667595) was developed by the USDA‐ARS, Sunflower and Plant Biology Research Unit in collaboration with the Agricultural Experiment Station of North Dakota State University and released in January 2013. Sunflower rust (caused by Puccinia helianthi Schwein.) is a worldwide disease of sunflower that is an increasing threat to North American production due to newly emerged virulent races. HA‐R9 was selected from an oilseed male fertility restorer line, Rf ANN‐1742 (PI 596476), which was released by the USDA‐ARS and the Agricultural Experiment Station of North Dakota State University in 1997. The rust resistance in HA‐R9 originated from wild H. annuus PI 613748. Rust evaluation was conducted at the seedling stage under greenhouse conditions. HA‐R9 has resistance to all rust races tested so far, including the most predominant and the most virulent races currently identified in the United States. The rust resistance in HA‐R9 is conditioned by a single dominant gene R11 which has been mapped to linkage group 13 of sunflower and is closely linked to the Rf5 male fertility restorer gene present in HA‐R9 in the coupling phase. Germplasm HA‐R9 will fill an urgent need for resistance to new virulent rust races and diversify the pool of fertility restoration genes in sunflower.
A queer geography of a school
Authors: Freitag Mel
Published: July 2013

What does it mean to queer a schooled space? When queers are physically visible in schools, how does that change the power relations and relationships within it? Researchers in the field of Human Geog-raphy have explored physical spaces that are “queered” – the gay ghettos – such as the gay bar, neighborhood, or city. While celebrating these gay spaces, and markers such as the safe space triangle sticker that allies in schools in the USA utilize to mark their offices as places where LGBTQ (lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer/questioning) students can “go” to feel comfort-able, or at least not bullied, that does not always mean that queers feel safe(r) in those spaces. Also, if one space is marked safe, what happens to the other unsafe spaces? Do they stay intact, and if so, is that to the detriment of all students? Therefore, it is imperative also to define what a safe or safe(r) space is, and then why they should exist at all. According to a recent nationwide survey conducted by Joseph Kosciw, Emily Greytak, and Elizabeth Diaz, nine out of ten LGBTQ-identified youth state they have been harassed and bullied in their schools. This is unacceptable.

One option in particular for queer subjects is to construct, live, and utilize these “queered” cities, neighborhoods, and schools. A physi-cally separated “gay space” could be a countersite for other, more privileged landscapes and narratives. For example, geographer Dereka Rushbrook takes Michel Foucault’s idea of “heterotopias” and defines it as “places that hold what has been displaced while serving as sites of stability for the displaced”, which I will use as a framework in this article. Much of the literature on queer geography has been on isolated or commercialized spaces, neighborhoods, cities, workplaces, bath houses, media, drag shows, sex workers, and more recently on immigration, transnational politics, public health, and globalization. The level of inclusivity of a school, for example, is traditionally a space that holds potential economic and social power for underrepresented students, including but not limited to queer-identified individuals.
Fusiform Correlates of Facial Memory in Autism
Authors: Trontel Haley , Duffield Tyler , Bigler Erin , Froehlich Alyson , Prigge Molly , Nielsen Jared , Cooperrider Jason , Cariello Annahir , Travers Brittany , Anderson Jeffrey , Zielinski Brandon , Alexander Andrew , Lange Nicholas , Lainhart Janet
Published: July 2013

Prior studies have shown that performance on standardized measures of memory in children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) is substantially reduced in comparison to matched typically developing controls (TDC). Given reported deficits in face processing in autism, the current study compared performance on an immediate and delayed facial memory task for individuals with ASD and TDC. In addition, we examined volumetric differences in classic facial memory regions of interest (ROI) between the two groups, including the fusiform, amygdala, and hippocampus. We then explored the relationship between ROI volume and facial memory performance. We found larger volumes in the autism group in the left amygdala and left hippocampus compared to TDC. In contrast, TDC had larger left fusiform gyrus volumes when compared with ASD. Interestingly, we also found significant negative correlations between delayed facial memory performance and volume of the left and right fusiform and the left hippocampus for the ASD group but not for TDC. The possibility of larger fusiform volume as a marker of abnormal connectivity and decreased facial memory is discussed.
Canopy Structural Changes Following Widespread Mortality of Canopy Dominant Trees
Authors: Hardiman Brady , Bohrer Gil , Gough Christopher , Curtis Peter
Published: July 2013

Canopy structure affects forest function by determining light availability and distribution. Many forests throughout the upper Great Lakes region are dominated by mature, even-aged, early successional aspen and birch, which comprise 35%–40% of canopy leaf area, and which are senescing at accelerating rates. In 2008 at the University of Michigan Biological Station, we initiated the Forest Accelerated Succession ExperimenT (FASET) by stem girdling all aspen and birch in replicated stands to induce mortality. Our objective was to understand type and rate of canopy structural changes imposed by rapid but diffuse disturbance consisting of mortality of a single age-species cohort. We characterized changes in canopy structural features in 2008–2011 using ground-based Portable Canopy Lidar (PCL) in paired treated and control stands. As aspen and birch in treated plots died, gap fraction of the upper canopy increased, average leaf height decreased, total canopy height declined, and openness of the whole-canopy increased. All of these trends became more pronounced with time. Our findings suggest that as forests throughout the region pass through the impending successional transition prompted by widespread mortality of canopy-dominant early successional aspen and birch species, the canopy will undergo significant structural reorganization with consequences for forest carbon assimilation.
Rorty, Williams, and Davidson: Skepticism and Metaepistemology
Authors: Pritchard Duncan , Ranalli Christopher
Published: July 2013

We revisit an important exchange on the problem of radical skepticism between Richard Rorty and Michael Williams. In his contribution to this exchange, Rorty defended the kind of transcendental approach to radical skepticism that is offered by Donald Davidson, in contrast to Williams’s Wittgenstein-inspired view. It is argued that the key to evaluating this debate is to understand the particular conception of the radical skeptical problem that is offered in influential work by Barry Stroud, a conception of the skeptical problem which generates metaepistemological ramifications for anti-skeptical theories. In particular, we argue that, contra Williams, Rorty’s view that Davidson was offering a theoretical diagnosis of radical skepticism can be consistently maintained with his transcendental approach.
Resveratrol Inhibits Ionising Irradiation-Induced Inflammation in MSCs by Activating SIRT1 and Limiting NLRP-3 Inflammasome Activation
Authors: Fu Yue , Wang Yan , Du Liqing , Xu Chang , Cao Jia , Fan Tiqiang , Liu Jianxiang , Su Xu , Fan Saijun , Liu Qiang , Fan Feiyue
Published: July 2013

IL-1β, a pro-inflammatory cytokine, has been shown to contribute to radiation injury. Sirt1, an NAD+-dependent class III protein deacetylase, plays an important role in the regulation of the proinflammatory cytokines involved in inflammation-associated diseases. The relationship between Sirt1 and IL-1β, however, has remained elusive. The present study was designed to explore the potential effect of Sirt1 on IL-1β expression induced by radiation and to provide a new target for the development of radiation protection drugs. Our results showed that radiation significantly increased IL-1β mRNA and protein expression and that pretreatment with resveratrol, a Sirt1 activator, inhibited the radiation-induced IL-1β expression in a concentration-dependent manner, whereas the knockdown or inhibition of Sirt1 by nicotinamide significantly enhanced radiation-induced IL-1β expression. This effect can likely be attributed to Sirt1-mediated inhibition of NLRP-3 inflammasome activation because Sirt1 inhibits the transactivation potential of NF-κb by deacetylation, which then suppresses NLRP3 transcription. Taken together, the results demonstrate that Sirt1 exerts anti-inflammatory effects by regulating NLRP3 expression partially through the NF-κb pathway in mesenchymal stem cells. More importantly, our findings suggest that resveratrol is an effective agent in protecting against radiation injury, and we provide a theoretical basis for developing a drug to protect against radiation injury by targeting Sirt1.
Evaluation of the Gamma-H2AX Assay for Radiation Biodosimetry in a Swine Model
Authors: Moroni Maria , Maeda Daisuke , Whitnall Mark , Bonner William , Redon Christophe
Published: July 2013

There is a paucity of large animal models to study both the extent and the health risk of ionizing radiation exposure in humans. One promising candidate for such a model is the minipig. Here, we evaluate the minipig for its potential in γ-H2AX-based biodosimetry after exposure to ionizing radiation using both Cs137 and Co60 sources. γ-H2AX foci were enumerated in blood lymphocytes and normal fibroblasts of human and porcine origin after ex vivo g-ray irradiation. DNA double-strand break repair kinetics in minipig blood lymphocytes and fibroblasts, based on the γ-H2AX assay, were similar to those observed in their human counterparts. To substantiate the similarity observed between the human and minipig we show that minipig fibroblast radiosensitivity was similar to that observed with human fibroblasts. Finally, a strong γ-H2AX induction was observed in blood lymphocytes following minipig total body irradiation. Significant responses were detected 3 days after 1.8 Gy and 1 week after 3.8 and 5 Gy with residual γ-H2AX foci proportional to the initial radiation doses. These findings show that the Gottingen minipig provides a useful in vivo model for validation of γ-H2AX biodosimetry for dose assessment in humans.
Antiplasmodial Alkaloids from the Bark of Cryptocarya nigra (Lauraceae)
Authors: Nasrullah Ayu , Zahari Azeana , Mohamad Jamaludin , Awang Khalijah
Published: July 2013

A dichloromethane extract of the stem bark of Cryptocarya nigra showed strong in vitro inhibition of Plasmodium falciparum growth, with an IC50 value of 2.82 μg/mL. The phytochemical study of this extract has led to the isolation and characterization of four known alkaloids: (+)-N-methylisococlaurine (1), atherosperminine (2), 2-hydroxyathersperminine (3), and noratherosperminine (4). Structural elucidation of all alkaloids was accomplished by means of high field 1D- and 2D-NMR, IR, UV and LCMS spectral data. The isolated extract constituents (+)-N-methylisococlaurine (1), atherosperminine (2) and 2-hydroxy-atherosperminine (3) showed strong antiplasmodial activity, with IC50 values of 5.40, 5.80 and 0.75 μM, respectively. In addition, (+)-N-methylisocolaurine (1) and atherosperminine (2) showed high antioxidant activity in a DPPH assay with IC50 values of 29.56 ug/mL and 54.53 ug/mL respectively. Compounds 1 and 2 also both showed high antioxidant activity in the FRAP assay, with percentages of 78.54 and 70.66 respectively and in the metal chelating assay, with IC50 values of 50.08 ug/mL and 42.87 ug/mL, respectively.
Synthesis and Preliminary Biological Evaluations of 5′-Substituted Derivatives of Uridine as Glycosyltransferase Inhibitors
Authors: Paszkowska Jadwiga , Kral Katarzyna , Bieg Tadeusz , Nawrot Urszula , Szeja Wiesław , Wandzik Ilona
Published: July 2013

New derivatives of uridine which contain a b-ketoenol motif were synthesized, characterized and biologically tested. Synthesized compounds 1–4 showed no activity against bovine milk β-1,4-galactosyltransferase I at concentrations up to 2.0 mM and were not active against Candida albicans and Aspergilus fumigatus up to the maximum tested concentration of 1,000 µg/mL.
Mechanistic Studies on Regioselective Dephosphorylation of Phosphate Prodrugs during a Facile Synthesis of Antitumor Phosphorylated 2-Phenyl-6,7-methylenedioxy-1H-quinolin-4-one
Authors: Cheng Yung-Yi , Liu Chin-Yu , Huang Li-Jiau , Huang Chi-Hung , Lee Kuo-Hsiung , Lin Cheng-Tung , Kuo Sheng-Chu
Published: July 2013

Phosphorylation of 2-(3-hydroxy-5-methoxyphenyl)-6,7-methylenedioxy-1H-quinolin-4-one (1) afforded diphosphate 2. We found that, upon treatment with methanol under mild conditions, 2 can undergo facile and highly regioselective dephosphorylation to give the monophosphate 3, with a phosphate group remaining on the phenyl ring. The details of the dephosphorylation process were postulated and then probed by LC-MS and HPLC analyses. Furthermore, as a preliminary study, the water soluble monophosphate prodrug 4 was tested for antitumor activity against a MCF-7 xenograft nude mice model.
Chemopreventive Potential of Flavonoids in Oral Squamous Cell Carcinoma in Human Studies
Authors: Iriti Marcello , Varoni Elena
Published: July 2013

Evidence available from nutritional epidemiology has indicated an inverse association between regular consumption of fruits and vegetables and the risk of developing certain types of cancer. In turn, preclinical studies have attributed the health-promoting effects of plant foods to some groups of phytochemicals, by virtue of their many biological activities. In this survey, we briefly examine the chemopreventive potential of flavonoids and flavonoid-rich foods in human oral carcinogenesis. Despite the paucity of data from clinical trials and epidemiological studies, in comparison to in vitro/in vivo investigations, a high level of evidence has been reported for epigallocatechin gallate (EGCG) and anthocyanins. These flavonoids, abundant in green tea and black raspberries, respectively, represent promising chemopreventive agents in human oral cancer.
Fluorosomes: Fluorescent Virus-Like Nanoparticles that Represent a Convenient Tool to Visualize Receptor-Ligand Interactions
Authors: Wojta-Stremayr Daniela , Pickl Winfried
Published: July 2013

Viruses are the smallest life forms and parasitize on many eukaryotic organisms, including humans. Consequently, the study of viruses and viral diseases has had an enormous impact on diverse fields of biology and medicine. Due to their often pathogenic properties, viruses have not only had a strong impact on the development of immune cells but also on shaping entire immune mechanisms in their hosts. In order to better characterize virus-specific surface receptors, pathways of virus entry and the mechanisms of virus assembly, diverse methods to visualize virus particles themselves have been developed in the past decades. Apart from characterization of virus-specific mechanisms, fluorescent virus particles also serve as valuable platforms to study receptor-ligand interactions. Along those lines the authors have developed non-infectious virus-like nanoparticles (VNP), which can be decorated with immune receptors of choice and used for probing receptor-ligand interactions, an especially interesting application in the field of basic but also applied immunology research. To be able to better trace receptor-decorated VNP the authors have developed technology to introduce fluorescent proteins into such particles and henceforth termed them fluorosomes (FS). Since VNP are assembled in a simple expression system relying on HEK-293 cells, gene-products of interest can be assembled in a simple and straightforward fashion—one of the reasons why the authors like to call fluorosomes ‘the poor-man’s staining tool’. Within this review article an overview on virus particle assembly, chemical and recombinant methods of virus particle labeling and examples on how FS can be applied as sensors to monitor receptor-ligand interactions on leukocytes are given.
Multi-View Human Activity Recognition in Distributed Camera Sensor Networks
Authors: Adeli Mosabbeb Ehsan , Raahemifar Kaamran , Fathy Mahmood
Published: July 2013

With the increasing demand on the usage of smart and networked cameras in intelligent and ambient technology environments, development of algorithms for such resource-distributed networks are of great interest. Multi-view action recognition addresses many challenges dealing with view-invariance and occlusion, and due to the huge amount of processing and communicating data in real life applications, it is not easy to adapt these methods for use in smart camera networks. In this paper, we propose a distributed activity classification framework, in which we assume that several camera sensors are observing the scene. Each camera processes its own observations, and while communicating with other cameras, they come to an agreement about the activity class. Our method is based on recovering a low-rank matrix over consensus to perform a distributed matrix completion via convex optimization. Then, it is applied to the problem of human activity classification. We test our approach on IXMAS and MuHAVi datasets to show the performance and the feasibility of the method.
Total synthesis of ochnaflavone
Authors: Ndoile Monica M , van Heerden Fanie R
Published: July 2013

The first total syntheses of ochnaflavone, an asymmetric biflavone consisting of apigenin and luteolin moieties, and the permethyl ether of 2,3,2'',3''-tetrahydroochnaflavone have been achieved. The key steps in the synthesis of ochnaflavone were the formation of a diaryl ether and ring cyclization of an ether-linked dimeric chalcone to assemble the two flavone nuclei. Optimal experimental conditions for the oxidative cyclization to form ochnaflavone were established.
REFLECTIONS ON THE CURRENT: AMBIGUITY IN CONTEMPORARY CULTURE AND SOCIETY / DABARTIES REFLEKSIJOS: NEVIENAREIKŠMIŠKUMAS ŠIUOLAIKINĖJE KULTŪROJE IR VISUOMENĖJE
Authors: Colak Metin
Published: July 2013

This paper examines one of the most influential theories of the 20th century, postmodernism, in the present time. Within this framework, this paper concentrates on the main elements of postmodernism in a critical-historical perspective and the recently developed theories which claim to offer an up-to date theoretical framework for the current ambiguous period. This article also investigates the question of whether these recently developed theories provide a better understanding of the present than classical postmodernism. After analyzing the recent theoretical views on the current, along with the classical postmodernism, in the conclusion the study will emphasis that these views (and classical theories of postmodernism), actually, reveal their lack of definition and explanation about the current. Santrauka Šiame straipsnyje esamuoju laiku nagrinėjama viena įtakingiausių XX amžiaus teorijų – postmodernizmas. Atliekant šiuos tyrinėjimus iš kritinės ir istorinės perspektyvos susitelkiama į pagrindinius postmodernizmo elementus ir pastaruoju metu plėtojamas teorijas, reikalaujančias nūdieniam nevienareikšmiškam laikotarpiui suteikti naujausią teorinį pagrindą. Straipsnyje gvildenamas klausimas, ar šios pastaruoju metu plėtojamos teorijos leidžia geriau suprasti dabartinį, o ne klasikinį postmodernizmą. Išanalizavus naujausius teorinius požiūrius į dabartį kartu su klasikiniu postmodernizmu, išvadose pabrėžiama, kad šie požiūriai (ir klasikinės postmodernizmo teorijos) iš tikrųjų dabartį aiškina nepakankamai apibrėžtai ir tiksliai.
Sportivisation des arts martiaux et contexte sociopolitique. Le cas du pencak silat en Indonésie
Authors: de Grave Jean-Marc
Published: July 2013

À travers l’histoire des fédérations indonésienne et internationale de pencak silat , l’article décrit la politique d’État de l’Indonésie vis-à-vis des pratiques traditionnelles régionalement marquées de cet art martial. Dans cette politique, les Javanais représentent le groupe dominant et ils apparaissent comme étant au cœur de la dynamique instaurée. Ceci a pour effet d’instaurer des tensions avec certains groupes socioculturels minoritaires. Les réseaux internationaux qui soutiennent le développement de cet art martial jouent également un rôle. Ils se présentent notamment comme un contrepoids à la volonté marquée des cadres fédéraux d’établir des règles de compétition axées sur le combat au détriment de la gestuelle esthétique originale. Les sources utilisées sont des documents de travail ou de diffusion des fédérations, récoltés à l’occasion d’enquêtes menées depuis 1987. L’analyse tient aussi compte des entretiens avec des responsables de fédérations et d’écoles, ainsi que l’expérience de terrain ethnographique d’étude des pratiques et du fonctionnement des écoles de pencak silat . Il en ressort que c’est le processus de sportivisation que l’État indonésien a mis en avant au détriment des dimensions rituelle et religieuse. J’interprète ce processus – concomitant à celui de modernisation – comme participant de l’hégémonie de groupes d’influence (Javanais ; pro-sportivisation) sur d’autres (autres groupes ethniques ; ceux pour qui la version sportive dénature l’art martial).
Pour une conception linguistique des apprentissages en EPS. Mais à quel jeu jouent nos élèves ?
Authors: Louis Fabrice
Published: July 2013

Dans cet article, nous focalisons notre attention sur deux piliers de l’éducation : l’apprentissage d’une langue et l’exercice de la citoyenneté par le partage des règles. Une des spécificités de l’EPS réside dans la possibilité qu’ont les enseignants de construire avec les élèves une « forme de vie », faite d’actions adaptées à une pratique physique qui s’apparente à un nouveau « jeu de langage ». Pour développer cette perspective linguistique issue du tournant grammatical dans la philosophie de Wittgenstein, nous adoptons l’anthropologie comme méthode d’identification des contenus d’apprentissage. Nous invitons le lecteur à percevoir les difficultés de l’enseignement en EPS comme des problèmes liés au fait que le sens de nos actions est institué socialement. Comme l’écrit Wittgenstein (2009, p. 274) : « Un jeu, un langage, une règle sont des institutions. » Or cette institutionnalisation agit à la fois comme une ressource et comme une contrainte car elle opère un tri entre ce qui a du sens et ce qui n’en a pas pour celui qui pratique une activité physique sportive et artistique. Les conséquences liées à cette perspective sont multiples (évolution du contrat didactique, des contenus, de l’évaluation...) et laissent entrevoir la possibilité d’une transversalité des apprentissages.
Los antropónimos femeninos latinos de origen griego de la Península Ibérica
Authors: Striano Araceli
Published: July 2013

La presencia de nombres propios de origen griego en las inscripciones latinas de la Península Ibérica es notable. Abarca además un amplio período cronológico que se extiende en el tiempo como demuestra la documentación medieval procedente de iglesias y centros religiosos. El artículo muestra que la adaptación fonética y morfológica de estos nombres en latín se produjo de forma limitada, lo que justifica que la variedad de las formas de estos nombres griegos no conociera una expansión fuera del círculo cerrado de individuos que los llevaron en su momento.
Imago rapti: La ira de Ceres en Claud., Pros. III 260-268
Authors: Marrón Gabriela A.
Published: July 2013

Este artículo analiza la comparación, formulada por Claudiano en El rapto de Prosérpina, entre la cólera de Ceres por la desaparición de su hija y la ira de las tigresas de Hircania cuando les roban sus cachorros. Intentaremos demostrar que el antecedente más relevante para la interpretación del símil no se remonta —como ha sostenido la crítica— a un pasaje de la Tebaida de Estacio, sino al canto XVI de la Ilíada, cuando Aquiles se encoleriza tras la muerte de Patroclo. A su vez, nos ocuparemos de estudiar la relación entre el símil propuesto por Claudiano y un particular fragmento del Hexameron de San Ambrosio, que podría haber sido una de las fuentes inmediatas de esa comparación.
Demonios, fantasmas y máscaras en la Antigüedad: consideraciones sobre el término larua y sus significados
Authors: Guzmán Almagro Alejandra
Published: July 2013

El presente artículo examina el término latino larua, aceptado comúnmente como espíritu maligno y vengativo y asimilado a otras entidades, en concreto con los lemures. Además, su empleo está atestiguado designando otros conceptos, como «máscara», que sin embargo guardarían una estrecha relación entre sí. A través de las diferentes fuentes documentales de época romana, se propone una actualización de las acepciones del término y la evolución de sus significados desde época republicana hasta los autores paganos tardíos.
21st Century Education Technologies for Engineers and IT Professionals
Authors: Tik Chan Chang
Published: July 2013

The word technology is inaccurately linked to hardware or tools only, and this misunderstanding has resulted in large sum of money invested in hardware or tools. In consequence, institutions and companies do not get the expected returns from these investments. One of the possible reasons for this could be the lack in understanding and knowledge of software and technology. This chapter attempts to describe the various education technologies in the forms of hardware or tools as well as software which include teaching and learning methods and how they are blended together to achieve effective communications. The technologies described in this chapter are blended learning, podcast, reciprocal peer tutoring, and personal learning environment. Finally, the chapter outlines some future research directions in the area of education technologies.
Parsing Bangla Grammar Using Context Free Grammar
Authors: Al-Mahmud  , Sarker Bishnu , Hasan K. M. Azharul
Published: July 2013

Parsing plays a very prominent role in computational linguistics. Parsing a Bangla sentence is a primary need in Bangla language processing. This chapter describes the Context Free Grammar (CFG) for parsing Bangla language, and hence, a Bangla parser is proposed based on the Bangla grammar. This approach is very simple to apply in Bangla sentences, and the method is well accepted for parsing grammar. This chapter introduces a parser for Bangla language, which is, by nature, a predictive parser, and the parse table is constructed for recognizing Bangla grammar. Parse table is an important tool to recognize syntactical mistakes of Bangla sentences when there is no entry for a terminal in the parse table. If a natural language can be successfully parsed then grammar checking of this language becomes possible. The parsing scheme in this chapter works based on a top-down parsing method. CFG suffers from a major problem called left recursion. The technique of left factoring is applied to avoid the problem.
Dependency Parsing in Bangla
Authors: Garain Utpal , De Sankar
Published: July 2013

A grammar-driven dependency parsing has been attempted for Bangla (Bengali). The free-word order nature of the language makes the development of an accurate parser very difficult. The Paninian grammatical model has been used to tackle the free-word order problem. The approach is to simplify complex and compound sentences and then to parse simple sentences by satisfying the Karaka demands of the Demand Groups (Verb Groups). Finally, parsed structures are rejoined with appropriate links and Karaka labels. The parser has been trained with a Treebank of 1000 annotated sentences and then evaluated with un-annotated test data of 150 sentences. The evaluation shows that the proposed approach achieves 90.32% and 79.81% accuracies for unlabeled and labeled attachments, respectively.
Bengali (Bangla) Information Retrieval
Authors: Ganguly Debasis , Leveling Johannes , Jones Gareth J.F.
Published: July 2013

This chapter introduces Bengali Information Retrieval (IR) to students by explaining the fundamental concepts of IR such as indexing, retrieval, and evaluation metrics. This chapter also provides a survey of and comparisons between various Bengali language-specific methodologies, and hence can serve researchers particularly interested in the state-of-the-art developments in Bengali IR. It can also act as a guideline for application developers on how to set up an information retrieval system for the Bengali language. All steps for creating and evaluating an information retrieval system are introduced, including content processing, indexing, retrieval models, and evaluation. Special attention is given to language-specific aspects of Bengali information retrieval. In addition, the chapter discusses cross-lingual information retrieval, where queries are entered in English with an objective to retrieving Bengali documents.
The Bengali Literary Collection of Rabindranath Tagore
Authors: Das Suprabhat , Basu Anupam , Mitra Pabitra
Published: July 2013

Rabindranath Tagore is one of the most prolific authors of Bengali literature. He has added a vast amount of richness in style and language to the Bengali text. The present study aims at a quantitative study of vocabulary size and lexical richness as well as effective search engine for his works. Several statistical measures of term distribution have been used to measure lexical richness. An initial attempt has been made to build a search engine, Anwesan, for Rabindra Rachanabali collection. The first complete digital Rabindra Rachanabali released by Society for Natural Language Technology Research, Kolkata, in 2010, has been used in the study. It was observed that a high lexical richness value was characteristics of most of Rabindranath Tagore’s work.
Higher Education and IT
Authors: Turró Lluís Jovell , Farell Montserrat Peñarroya
Published: July 2013

The introduction of IT in the learning process has completely transformed the way in which training is taught today, and the process of attracting new students has changed. This chapter discusses the changes in communication to new students and describes the main techniques to attract them to the Website of a business school or educational institution.
Fusion between Dry Knowledge and Wet Brain
Authors: Sugiyama Shigeki
Published: July 2013

With globalization, people, goods, and thoughts move without limitations of time, place, and people. Because information technology and the internetworking advancements have already made global communications possible, it is now possible to make anything come into reality. On the other hand, there should be another point to think about, that is to say, there must be people to make the things happen, which will be closely related with higher education. This chapter explores the present situations of education and knowledge and researches the problems that may not make them happen. By using these results of the studies, this chapter introduces a future direction of the capital on the next generation’s higher education by showing a fundamental principle of “fusion between dry knowledge and wet brain.”
Information and Communication Technology (ICT) Research Output and Utilization in Selected Southern African Universities
Authors: Kaino Luckson M. , Kasanda Choshi D. , Mtetwa David
Published: July 2013

This chapter analyzes the contribution of academic research outputs in ICTs towards the improvement of economic and social development of communities in Botswana, Namibia, and Zimbabwe. The findings reported emanate from a study that examined ICT projects undertaken at the universities of these countries and how the projects benefited the communities to realize the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs). The findings indicate that studies in ICTs were used as either an object or instrument of inquiry, and a number of challenges were associated with the dissemination and utilization of research outputs. In addition, the MDGs were not deliberately factored in the ICT research agenda, and their treatment was by accident rather than design. The authors recommend that in order for research outputs to address the MDGs, the universities should put in place explicit policies that emphasize production of knowledge relevant to community, and dissemination and utilization strategy policies for research outputs.
Pedagogy-Based Technology Enhancement in Tertiary Education
Authors: Atif Yacine
Published: July 2013

Formal instruction still occurs predominantly in classroom environment, despite the rapid progress in online learning. The authors present digital patterns for classroom instruction to support classroom learning and assist instruction developers. They advocate design patterns and learning activities to encapsulate digital educational resources into pedagogically sound reusable components. This chapter proposes pedagogical patterns to drive content providers to meet learner profiles in regular tertiary education environments. Taking their roots from behavioral learning discipline, these patterns are digitized as part of a separate process in learning production workflows. The authors describe the overall organization of a learning production enterprise and position the pedagogical factory to drive the supply of learning contents in increasingly digitized tertiary education institutions. This chapter reunites digital patterns to support personalization and conversational pedagogies in classroom contexts.