bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
A similarity measure for indefinite rankings
Authors: Webber William , Moffat Alistair , Zobel Justin
Published: November 2010

Ranked lists are encountered in research and daily life and it is often of interest to compare these lists even when they are incomplete or have only some members in common. An example is document rankings returned for the same query by different search engines. A measure of the similarity between incomplete rankings should handle nonconjointness, weight high ranks more heavily than low, and be monotonic with increasing depth of evaluation; but no measure satisfying all these criteria currently exists. In this article, we propose a new measure having these qualities, namely rank-biased overlap (RBO). The RBO measure is based on a simple probabilistic user model. It provides monotonicity by calculating, at a given depth of evaluation, a base score that is non-decreasing with additional evaluation, and a maximum score that is nonincreasing. An extrapolated score can be calculated between these bounds if a point estimate is required. RBO has a parameter which determines the strength of the weighting to top ranks. We extend RBO to handle tied ranks and rankings of different lengths. Finally, we give examples of the use of the measure in comparing the results produced by public search engines and in assessing retrieval systems in the laboratory.
The task-dependent effect of tags and ratings on social media access
Authors: Clements Maarten , De Vries Arjen P. , Reinders Marcel J. T.
Published: November 2010

Recently, online social networks have emerged that allow people to share their multimedia files, retrieve interesting content, and discover like-minded people. These systems often provide the possibility to annotate the content with tags and ratings.

Using a random walk through the social annotation graph, we have combined these annotations into a retrieval model that effectively balances the personal preferences and opinions of like-minded users into a single relevance ranking for either content, tags, or people. We use this model to identify the influence of different annotation methods and system design aspects on common ranking tasks in social content systems.

Our results show that a combination of rating and tagging information can improve tasks like search and recommendation. The optimal influence of both sources on the ranking is highly dependent on the retrieval task and system design. Results on content search and tag suggestion indicate that the profile created by a user's annotations can be used effectively to adapt the ranking to personal preferences. The random walk reduces sparsity problems by smoothly integrating indirectly related concepts in the relevance ranking, which is especially valuable for cold-start users or individual tagging systems like YouTube and Flickr.
Mining near-duplicate graph for cluster-based reranking of web video search results
Authors: Huang Zi , Hu Bo , Cheng Hong , Shen Heng Tao , Liu Hongyan , Zhou Xiaofang
Published: November 2010

Recently, video search reranking has been an effective mechanism to improve the initial text-based ranking list by incorporating visual consistency among the result videos. While existing methods attempt to rerank all the individual result videos, they suffer from several drawbacks. In this article, we propose a new video reranking paradigm called cluster-based video reranking (CVR). The idea is to first construct a video near-duplicate graph representing the visual similarity relationship among videos, followed by identifying the near-duplicate clusters from the video near-duplicate graph, then ranking the obtained near-duplicate clusters based on cluster properties and intercluster links, and finally for each ranked cluster, a representative video is selected and returned. Compared to existing methods, the new CVR ranks clusters and exhibits several advantages, including superior reranking by utilizing more reliable cluster properties, fast reranking on a small number of clusters, diverse and representative results. Particularly, we formulate the near-duplicate cluster identification as a novel maximally cohesive subgraph mining problem. By leveraging the designed cluster scoring properties indicating the cluster's importance and quality, random walk is applied over the near-duplicate cluster graph to rank clusters. An extensive evaluation study proves the novelty and superiority of our proposals over existing methods.
In the Virtual Extension
Authors: CACM Staff
Published: November 2010

To ensure the timely publication of articles,
Communications
created the Virtual Extension (VE) to expand the page limitations of the print edition by bringing readers the same high-quality articles in an online-only format. VE articles undergo the same rigorous review process as those in the print edition and are accepted for publication on merit. The following synopses are from articles now available in their entirety to ACM members via the Digital Library.
Security advice; malvertisements; and CS education in Qatar
Authors: Linden Greg , Hong Jason , Guzdial Mark
Published: November 2010

The Communications website
features more than a dozen bloggers in the
The BLOG@CACM
community. In each issue of Communications, we'll publish selected posts or excerpts. Follow us on
Twitter
. Greg Linden discusses security advice and the cost of user effort, Jason Hong considers the increase in malvertisements, and Mark Guzdial writes about gender and CS education in Qatar.
The eyes have it
Authors: Goth Gregory
Published: November 2010

Eye-tracking control for mobile phones might lead to a new era of context-aware user interfaces.
The new face of war
Authors: Greengard Samuel
Published: November 2010

With the introduction of the sophisticated Stuxnet worm, the stakes of cyberwarfare have increased immeasurably.
CSEdWeek expands its reach
Authors: Krakovsky Marina
Published: November 2010

The second Computer Science Education Week is showing students, parents, and educators why computer science is important.
A matter of privacy
Authors: Lindley David
Published: November 2010

Do consumers have enough control over their personal information or is more government regulation needed?
IBM's single-processor supercomputer efforts
Authors: Smotherman Mark , Spicer Dag
Published: November 2010

Insights on the pioneering IBM Stretch and ACS projects.
The role of Hispanic-serving institutions in contributing to an educated work force
Authors: Gates Ann Quiroz
Published: November 2010

Improving inclusiveness in computing education.
The long quest for universal information access
Authors: Denning Peter J. , Kahn Robert E.
Published: November 2010

Digital object repositories are on the cusp of resolving the long-standing problem of universal information access in the Internet.
Literate coding
Authors: Neville-Neil George V.
Published: November 2010

Spelling and grammar do matter.
A conversation with Ed Catmull
Authors: CACM Staff
Published: November 2010

Pixar's president Ed Catmull sits down with Stanford professor (and former Pixar-ian) Pat Hanrahan to reflect on the blending of art and technology.
Business impact of Web 2.0 technologies
Authors: Andriole Stephen J.
Published: November 2010

What do wikis, blogs, podcasts, social networks, virtual worlds, and the rest do for corporate productivity and management?
CoSaMP
Authors: Needell Deanna , Tropp Joel A.
Published: November 2010

Compressive sampling (CoSa) is a new paradigm for developing data sampling technologies. It is based on the principle that many types of vector-space data are
compressible
, which is a term of art in mathematical signal processing. The key ideas are that randomized dimension reduction preserves the information in a compressible signal and that it is possible to develop hardware devices that implement this dimension reduction efficiently. The main computational challenge in CoSa is to reconstruct a compressible signal from the reduced representation acquired by the sampling device. This extended abstract describes a recent algorithm, called, CoSaMP, that accomplishes the data recovery task. It was the first known method to offer near-optimal guarantees on resource usage.
Spatial-geometric approach to physical mobile interaction based on accelerometer and IR sensory data fusion
Authors: Rahman Abu Saleh Md Mahfujur , Hossain M Anwar , Saddik Abdulmotaleb El
Published: November 2010

Interaction with the physical environment using mobile phones has become increasingly desirable and feasible. Nowadays mobile phones are being used to control different devices and access information/services related to those devices. To facilitate such interaction, devices are usually marked with RFID tags or visual markers, which are read by a mobile phone equipped with an integrated RFID reader or camera to fetch related information about those objects and initiate further actions. This article contributes in this domain of mobile physical interaction; however, using a spatial-geometric approach for interacting with indoor physical objects and artifacts instead of RFID based solutions. Using this approach, a mobile phone can point from a distance to an annotated object or a spatial subregion of that object for the purpose of interaction. The pointing direction and location is determined based on the fusion of IR camera and accelerometer data, where the IR cameras are used to calculate the 3D position of the mobile phone users and the accelerometer in the phone provides its tilting and orientation information. The annotation of objects and their subregions with which the mobile phone interacts is performed by specifying their geometric coordinates and associating related information or services with them. We perform experiment in a technology-augmented smart space and show the applicability and potential of the proposed approach.
Optimizing consistency by maximizing bandwidth usage in distributed interactive applications
Authors: Marshall Damien , Mcloone Séamus , Ward Tomás
Published: November 2010

A key factor determining the success of a Distributed Interactive Application (DIA) is the maintenance of a consistent shared virtual world. To help maintain consistency, a number of Information Management techniques have been developed. However, unless carefully tuned to the underlying network, they can negatively impact on consistency. This work presents a novel adaptive algorithm for optimizing consistency by maximizing available bandwidth usage in DIAs. This algorithm operates by estimating bandwidth from trends in network latency, and modifying data transmission rates to match the estimated value. Results presented within demonstrate that this approach can help optimise consistency levels in a DIA.
Understanding overlay characteristics of a large-scale peer-to-peer IPTV system
Authors: Vu Long , Gupta Indranil , Nahrstedt Klara , Liang Jin
Published: November 2010

This article presents results from our measurement and modeling efforts on the large-scale peer-to-peer (p2p) overlay graphs spanned by the PPLive system, the most popular and largest p2p IPTV (Internet Protocol Television) system today. Unlike other previous studies on PPLive, which focused on either network-centric or user-centric measurements of the system, our study is unique in (a) focusing on PPLive overlay-specific characteristics, and (b) being the first to derive mathematical models for its distributions of node degree, session length, and peer participation in simultaneous overlays.

Our studies reveal characteristics of multimedia streaming p2p overlays that are markedly different from existing file-sharing p2p overlays. Specifically, we find that: (1) PPLive overlays are similar to random graphs in structure and thus more robust and resilient to the massive failure of nodes, (2) Average degree of a peer in the overlay is independent of the channel population size and the node degree distribution can be fitted by a piecewise function, (3) The availability correlation between PPLive peer pairs is bimodal, that is, some pairs have highly correlated availability, while others have no correlation, (4) Unlike p2p file-sharing peers, PPLive peers are impatient and session lengths (discretized, per channel) are typically geometrically distributed, (5) Channel population size is time-sensitive, self-repeated, event-dependent, and varies more than in p2p file-sharing networks, (6) Peering relationships are slightly locality-aware, and (7) Peer participation in simultaneous overlays follows a Zipf distribution. We believe that our findings can be used to understand current large-scale p2p streaming systems for future planning of resource usage, and to provide useful and practical hints for future design of large-scale p2p streaming systems.
Evidence-based trust
Authors: Wang Yonghong , Singh Munindar P.
Published: November 2010

An evidence-based account of trust is essential for an appropriate treatment of application-level interactions among autonomous and adaptive parties. Key examples include social networks and service-oriented computing. Existing approaches either ignore evidence or only partially address the twin challenges of mapping evidence to trustworthiness and combining trust reports from imperfectly trusted sources. This article develops a mathematically well-formulated approach that naturally supports discounting and combining evidence-based trust reports.

This article understands an agent Alice's trust in an agent Bob in terms of Alice's certainty in her belief that Bob is trustworthy. Unlike previous approaches, this article formulates certainty in terms of evidence based on a statistical measure defined over a probability distribution of the probability of positive outcomes. This definition supports important mathematical properties ensuring correct results despite conflicting evidence: (1) for a fixed amount of evidence, certainty increases as conflict in the evidence decreases and (2) for a fixed level of conflict, certainty increases as the amount of evidence increases. Moreover, despite a subtle definition of certainty, this work (3) establishes a bijection between evidence and trust spaces, enabling robust combination of trust reports and (4) provides an efficient algorithm for computing this bijection.
The MACODO organization model for context-driven dynamic agent organizations
Authors: Weyns Danny , Haesevoets Robrecht , Helleboogh Alexander
Published: November 2010

Today's distributed applications such as sensor networks, mobile multimedia applications, and intelligent transportation systems pose huge engineering challenges. Such systems often comprise different components that interact with each other as peers, as such forming a decentralized system. The system components and collaborations change over time, often in unanticipated ways. Multiagent systems belong to a class of decentralized systems that are known for realizing qualities such as adaptability, robustness, and scalability in such environments. A typical way to structure and manage interactions among agents is by means of organizations. Existing approaches usually endow agents with a dual responsibility: on the one hand agents have to play roles providing the associated functionality in the organization, on the other hand agents are responsible for setting up organizations and managing organization dynamics. Engineering realistic multiagent systems in which agents encapsulate this dual responsibility is a complex task.

In this article, we present an organization model for context-driven dynamic agent organizations. The model defines abstractions that support application developers to describe dynamic organizations. The organization model is part of an integrated approach, called MACODO: Middleware Architecture for COntext-driven Dynamic agent Organizations. The complementary part of the MACODO approach is a middleware platform that supports the distributed execution of dynamic organizations specified using the abstractions, as described in Weyns et al. [2009].

In the model, the life-cycle management of dynamic organizations is separated from the agents: organizations are first-class citizens, and their dynamics are governed by laws. The laws specify how changes in the system (e.g., an agent joins an organization) and changes in the context (e.g., information observed in the environment) lead to dynamic reorganizations. As such, the model makes it easier to understand and specify dynamic organizations in multiagent systems, and promotes reusing the life-cycle management of dynamic organizations. The organization model is formally described to specify the semantics of the abstractions, and ensure its type safety. We apply the organization model to specify dynamic organizations for a traffic monitoring application.
Six Literacies
Authors: Duboc Jean-Rémy
Published: November 2010

In our era of ubiquitous and almost free publishing, those who want to teach and learn now have almost limitless resources. However, this wealth of information brings a whole new perspective on literacy. As Howard Rheingold suggests, we, which includes educators and learners alike, might now have to deal with not one, but six literacies.
The Rise and Fall of 'e'
Authors: Little Bob
Published: November 2010

For years, studies have shown that less than 10 percent of those who start an e-learning program ever complete it. However, thanks to advances in learning delivery technologies, e-learning (which was formerly prescriptive and characterized by the authoring of traditional educational content) has given way to self-generated, grass roots learning content production, profiling, and exchange. This change was possible when subject matter experts got hold of rapid authoring tools that they could actually use. And the result is the emergence of learning communities.
Teaching medical students basic neurotransmitter pharmacology using primary research resources
Authors: Halliday Amy C. , Devonshire Ian M. , Greenfield Susan A. , Dommett Eleanor J.
Published: November 2010

Teaching pharmacology to medical students has long been seen as a challenge, and one to which a number of innovative approaches have been taken. In this article, we describe and evaluate the use of primary research articles in teaching second-year medical students both in terms of the information learned and the use of the papers themselves. We designed a seminar where small groups of students worked on different neurotransmitters before contributing information to a plenary session. Student feedback suggested that when the information was largely novel, students learned considerably more. Crucially, this improvement in knowledge was seen even when they had not directly studied a particular transmitter in their work groups, suggesting a shared learning experience. Moreover, the majority of students reported that using primary research papers was easy and useful, with over half stating that they would use them in future study.
Student peer review decisions on submitted manuscripts are as stringent as faculty peer reviewers
Authors: Navalta James W. , Lyons T. Scott
Published: November 2010

The International Journal of Exercise Science is the only student-centered peer-reviewed journal in its field. Upon graduate student first author submissions, two student reviewers and one faculty reviewer are asked to review. On professionally submitted papers, two faculty peers are asked to assess the manuscript. The purpose of the present study was to determine whether graduate students returned similar decisions compared with faculty reviewers who evaluated the same manuscript. In addition, decisions of faculty peers reviewing graduate student- versus faculty-submitted manuscripts were compared. Mean comparisons between groups were evaluated using independent t-tests with significance at P ≤ 0.05. Graduate students (2.21 ± 0.69) and faculty peers (2.24 ± 0.66) returned similar decisions on student-submitted manuscripts ( P = 0.84). Faculty decisions on manuscripts submitted by a professional primary author (1.86 ± 0.77) were not different compared with faculty peers reviewing student manuscripts ( P = 0.06). Statistics revealed that graduate students are just as stringent in the peer review process as established reviewers. Additionally, faculty reviewers evaluated manuscripts equally regardless of submission type.
A demonstration of sympathetic cotransmission
Authors: Johnson Christopher D.
Published: November 2010

Currently, most undergraduate textbooks that cover the autonomic nervous system retain the concept that autonomic nerves release either acetylcholine or norepinephrine. However, in recent years, a large volume of research has superseded this concept with one in which autonomic nerves normally release at least one cotransmitter along with a dominant transmitter that may or may not be acetylcholine or norepinephrine. Cotransmission involving the simultaneous release of norepinephrine, ATP, and neuropeptide Y can easily be demonstrated in an isometric ring preparation of the rat tail artery, which is described here. The experiment clearly demonstrates the principle of cotransmission but allows more advanced concepts in autonomic cotransmission to be addressed.
Not only students can express alcohol dehydrogenase: goldfish can too!
Authors: Chamberland Valérie , Rioux Pierre
Published: November 2010

This article describes a novel approach to study the metabolic regulation of the respiratory system in vertebrates that suits physiology lessons for undergraduate students. It consists of an experimental demonstration of the goldfish's ( Carassius auratus ) adaptations to anoxia. The goldfish is one of the few vertebrates showing strong enzymatic plasticity for the expression of alcohol dehydrogenase (ADH), which allows it to survive long periods of severe anoxia. Therefore, we propose two simple laboratory exercises in which students are first asked to characterize the distribution of ADH isozymes in the goldfish by performing cellulose acetate electrophoresis. The second part of this laboratory lesson is the determination of liver glycogen. To further student comprehension, an interspecies comparative component is integrated, in which the same subjects are studied in an anoxia-sensitive species, the brook charr ( Salvelinus fontinalis ). ADH in goldfish is restricted to skeletal muscles, where it catalyzes alcoholic fermentation, permitting ethanol excretion through the gills and therefore preventing lactate acidosis caused by sustained glycolysis during anoxia. Electrophoresis also reveals the occurrence of a liver isozyme in the brook charr, which ADH catalyzes in the opposite pathway, allowing the usual ethanol degradation. As for the liver glycogen assay, it shows largely superior content in the goldfish liver compared with the brook charr, providing goldfish with a sustained energy supply during anoxia. The results of this laboratory exercise clearly demonstrate several physiological strategies developed by goldfish to cope with such a crucial environmental challenge as oxygen depletion.
Electron density distribution and crystal structure of lithium barium silicate, Li2BaSiO4
Authors: Kudo Tatsunari , Hirano Yoshinori , Momma Koichi , Fukuda Koichiro
Published: November 2010

Crystal structure of Li2BaSiO4was reinvestigated by laboratory X-ray powder diffraction. The title compound was hexagonal with space groupP63cm,Z=6, unit-cell dimensionsa=0.810 408(2) nm,c=1.060 829(4) nm, andV=0.603 370(3) nm3. The initial structural model was successfully derived by the direct methods and further refined by the Rietveld method, with the anisotropic atomic displacement parameters being assigned for all atoms. The reliability indices calculated from the Rietveld refinement wereRwp=6.72%,S=1.17,Rp=5.06%,RB=1.86%, andRF=0.98%. The maximum-entropy method-based pattern fitting (MPF) method was used to confirm the validity of the structural model, in which conventional structure bias caused by assuming intensity partitioning was minimized. The final reliability indices calculated from MPF wereRwp=6.74%,S=1.17,Rp=5.10%,RB=1.49%, andRF=0.69%. Atomic arrangements of the final structural model were in excellent agreement with the three-dimensional electron-density distributions determined by MPF.
Study of the conversion of N-carbamoyl-L-proline to hydantoin-L-proline using powder synchrotron X-ray diffraction
Authors: Seijas Luis E. , Mora Asiloé J. , Delgado Gerzon E. , Brunelli Michela , Fitch Andrew N.
Published: November 2010

The solvent-free conversion of N-carbamoyl-L-proline to hydantoin-L-proline by direct heating at 470 K is reported. A reaction mechanism is proposed based on a nucleophilic intramolecular substitution reaction involving both the lone pair of the NH2 group and the carboxylic acid group of the N-carbamoyl-L-proline. The DSC and TGA experiments show rising of the baselines of the curves prior to melting and decomposition given evidence of the onset of the thermal reaction. NMR experiments were used to identify the product of the reaction, hydantoin-L-proline, whose crystal structure was obtained from X-ray synchrotron powder diffraction data collected on the solidified melt. This compound displays a crystal packing directed by hydrogen bonds forming a layered structure pile up along the c direction.
Influence of shot peening on surface-layer characteristics of a monocrystalline nickel-based superalloy
Authors: Chen Y. H. , Jiang C. H. , Wang Z. , Zhan K.
Published: November 2010

Shot peening was conducted on [100]- and [111]-oriented monocrystalline nickel-based superalloy samples to study the effect of crystal orientation on the distributions of the residual stress and evolution of microstructures in the deformation layers on the sample surfaces as a function of the coverage up to 400%. The XRD results show that the orientation randomizations and the values of compressive residual stress in the [111]-oriented samples are relatively higher than those in the [001]-oriented samples. Moreover, the residual-stress distribution in each sample is anisotropic, and the residual stress is maximum along the 〈110〉 direction. This phenomenon can be explained by the anisotropic properties of a single-crystal alloy and mechanism of the dislocation slip in the plastic deformation layers. Line profile analysis was also used to obtain microstructural information of the samples.
Black Thyroid Associated with Thyroid Carcinoma
Authors: Kandil Emad , Abdel Khalek Mohamed , Alabbas Haytham , Daroca Philip , Thethi Tina , Friedlander Paul , Leblanc Ryan , Abdullah Obai , Jaffe Bernard , Crawford Byron
Published: November 2010

Objective. Black thyroid is a rare pigmented change seen almost exclusively in patients upon minocycline ingestion, and the process has previously been thought to be generally benign. There have been 61 reported cases of black thyroid. We are aware of 13 cases previously reported in association with thyroid carcinoma. This paper reports six patients with black thyroid pigmentation in association with thyroid carcinoma.Design. The medical records of six patients who were diagnosed with black thyroid syndrome, all of whom underwent thyroid surgery, were reviewed. Data on age, gender, race, preoperative fine needle aspiration biopsy (FNA), thyroid function levels, and pathology reports were collected.Main Outcome. The mean age was 60 years. There were 5 females, 4 of whom were African American. All patients were clinically and biochemically euthyroid. Black pigmentation was not diagnosed in preoperative FNA, and only one patient had a preoperative diagnosis of papillary thyroid carcinoma. The other patients underwent surgery and were found to have black pigmentation of the thyroid associated with carcinoma.Conclusions. FNA does not diagnose black thyroid, which is associated with thyroid carcinoma. Thyroid glands with black pigmentation deserve thorough pathologic examination, including several sections of each specimen.
Microfluidic-Based Multiplex qRT-PCR Identifies Diagnostic and Prognostic microRNA Signatures in the Sera of Prostate Cancer Patients
Authors: Moltzahn Felix , Olshen Adam B. , Baehner Lauren , Peek Andrew , Fong Lawrence , Stöppler Hubert , Simko Jeffry , Hilton Joan F. , Carroll Peter , Blelloch Robert
Published: November 2010

Recent prostate-specific antigen–based screening trials indicate an urgent need for novel and noninvasive biomarker identification strategies to improve the prediction of prostate cancer behavior. Noncoding microRNAs (miRNA) in the serum and plasma have been shown to have potential as noninvasive markers for physiologic and pathologic conditions. To identify serum miRNAs that diagnose and correlate with the prognosis of prostate cancer, we developed a multiplex quantitative reverse transcription PCR method involving the purification of multiplex PCR products followed by uniplex analysis on a microfluidics chip to evaluate 384 human miRNAs. Using Dgcr8 and Dicer knockout (small RNA-deficient) mouse ES cells as the benchmark, we confirmed the validity of our technique and uncovered a considerable lack of accuracy in previously published methods. Profiling 48 sera from healthy men and untreated prostate cancer patients with differing CAPRA scores, we identified miRNA signatures that allow us to diagnose cancer patients and correlate with a prognosis. These serum signatures include oncogenic and tumor-suppressive miRNAs, suggesting functional roles in prostate cancer progression. Cancer Res; 71(2); 550–60. ©2010 AACR.
Interleukin 6, but Not T Helper 2 Cytokines, Promotes Lung Carcinogenesis
Authors: Ochoa Cesar E. , Mirabolfathinejad Seyedeh Golsar , Ruiz Venado Ana , Evans Scott E. , Gagea Mihai , Evans Christopher M. , Dickey Burton F. , Moghaddam Seyed Javad
Published: November 2010

Several epidemiologic studies have found that smokers with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), an inflammatory disease of the lung, have an increased risk of lung cancer compared with smokers without COPD. We have shown a causal role for COPD-like airway inflammation in lung cancer promotion in the CCSPCre/LSL-K-rasG12D mouse model (CC-LR). In contrast, existing epidemiologic data do not suggest any definite association between allergic airway inflammation and lung cancer. To test this, CC-LR mice were sensitized to ovalbumin (OVA) and then challenged with an OVA aerosol weekly for 8 weeks. This resulted in eosinophilic lung inflammation associated with increased levels of T helper 2 cytokines and mucous metaplasia of airway epithelium, similar to what is seen in asthmatic patients. However, this type of inflammation did not result in a significant difference in lung surface tumor number (49 ± 9 in OVA vs. 52 ± 5 in control) in contrast to a 3.2-fold increase with COPD-like inflammation. Gene expression analysis of nontypeable Haemophilus influenzae (NTHi)-treated lungs showed upregulation of a different profile of inflammatory genes, including interleukin 6 (IL-6), compared with OVA-treated lungs. Therefore, to determine the causal role of cytokines that mediate COPD-like inflammation in lung carcinogenesis, we genetically ablated IL-6 in CC-LR mice. This not only inhibited intrinsic lung cancer development (1.7-fold) but also inhibited the promoting effect of extrinsic COPD-like airway inflammation (2.6-fold). We conclude that there is a clear specificity for the nature of inflammation in lung cancer promotion, and IL-6 has an essential role in lung cancer promotion. Cancer Prev Res; 4(1); 51–64. ©2010 AACR.
Arterial Calcification Is Driven by RAGE in Enpp1–/– Mice
Authors: Cecil Denise L. , Terkeltaub Robert A.
Published: November 2010

Background/Aims: Ectopic osteochondral differentiation, driven by ENPP1-catalyzed generation of the chondrogenesis and calcification inhibitor inorganic pyrophosphate (PPi), promotes generalized arterial calcification of infancy. The multiligand receptor for advanced glycation end-products (RAGE), which promotes atherosclerosis and diabetic cardiovascular and renal complications, also mediates chondrocyte differentiation in response to RAGE ligand calgranulins such as S100A11. Here, we tested RAGE involvement in ENPP1 deficiency-associated arterial calcification. Methods: Because ectopic artery calcification in Enpp1–/– mice is Pi-dependent and mediated by PPi deficiency, in vitro studies on effects of S100A11 and RAGE on mouse aortic explants were conducted using exogenous Pi, as well as alkaline phosphatase to hydrolyze ambient PPi. Results: S100A11 induced cartilage-specific collagen IX/XI expression and calcification dependent on RAGE in mouse aortic explants that was inhibited by the endogenous RAGE signaling inhibitor soluble RAGE (sRAGE). Enpp1–/– aortic explants demonstrated decreased Pi-stimulated release of sRAGE, and increased calcification and type IX/XI collagen expression that were suppressed by exogenous sRAGE and by Rage knockout. Last, Rage knockout suppressed spontaneous aortic calcification in situ in Enpp1–/– mice. Conclusion: Cultured Enpp1–/– aortic explants have decreased Pi-stimulated release of sRAGE, and RAGE promotes ectopic chondrogenic differentiation and arterial calcification in Enpp1–/– mice.
‘Do Not Attempt Resuscitation’ and ‘Cardiopulmonary Resuscitation’ in an Inpatient Setting: Factors Influencing Physicians’ Decisions in Switzerland
Authors: Becerra Maria , Hurst Samia A. , Junod Perron Noelle , Cochet Stéphane , Elger Bernice S.
Published: November 2010

Objective: To determine the prevalence of cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) and do-not-attempt-resuscitation (DNAR) orders, to define factors associated with CPR/DNAR orders and to explore how physicians make and document these decisions. Methods: We prospectively reviewed CPR/DNAR forms of 1,446 patients admitted to the General Internal Medicine Department of the Geneva University Hospitals, a tertiary-care teaching hospital in Switzerland. We additionally administered a face-to-face survey to residents in charge of 206 patients including DNAR and CPR orders, with or without patient inclusion. Results: 21.2% of the patients had a DNAR order, 61.7% a CPR order and 17.1% had neither. The two main factors associated with DNAR orders were a worse prognosis and/or a worse quality of life. Others factors were an older age, cancer and psychiatric diagnoses, and the absence of decision-making capacity. Residents gave four major justifications for DNAR orders: important comorbid conditions (34%), the patients’ or their family’s resuscitation preferences (18%), the patients’ age (14.2%), and the absence of decision-making capacity (8%). Residents who wrote DNAR orders were more experienced. In many of the DNAR or CPR forms (19.8 and 16%, respectively), the order was written using a variety of formulations. For 24% of the residents, the distinction between the resuscitation order and the care objective was not clear. 38% of the residents found the resuscitation form useful. Conclusion: Patients’ prognosis and quality of life were the two main independent factors associated with CPR/DNAR orders. However, in the majority of cases, residents evaluated prognosis only intuitively, and quality of life without involving the patients. The distinction between CPR/DNAR orders and the care objectives was not always clear. Specific training regarding CPR/DNAR orders is necessary to improve the CPR/DNAR decision process used by physicians.
Endotoxin Induces Differentiated Contractile Responses in Porcine Pulmonary Arteries and Veins
Authors: Persson Björn P. , Boels Piet J.M. , Lövdahl Cecilia , Rossi Patrik , Arner Anders , Oldner Anders
Published: November 2010

Background/Aims: Sepsis-induced lung injury is characterized by pulmonary hypertension, edema and deteriorated gas exchange. As in vivo studies have indicated that bacterial endotoxin predominantly induces a pulmonary venous constriction, we aimed to investigate effects of endotoxin on isolated porcine pulmonary vessels. Methods: Pulmonary arteries and veins were examined using in vitro isometric force recordings. Endothelin-receptor protein expression and distribution were analyzed by Western blot and immunohistochemistry. Freshly isolated preparations and vessels incubated (24 h) with/without endotoxin (10 µg·ml–1) were compared. The contractile responses to phenylephrine, UK14.304, U46619, PGF2α, endothelin-1 (ET-1) and sarafotoxin were recorded, as well as the relaxation in response to acetylcholine, isoproterenol and nitroprusside. Results: In freshly isolated vessels, phenylephrine-induced contractions had a 5-times larger amplitude in arteries than in veins. The amplitude of the contractions in response to sarafotoxin was nearly 2 times larger in veins than in arteries, but there was no difference in responses to ET-1. Endotoxin markedly reduced phenylephrine-induced contractions in both arteries and veins, whereas the responses to ET-1 and sarafotoxin were augmented in veins only. No apparent changes in ET receptor expression or distribution were detected with Western blot or immunohistochemistry. Conclusion: Endotoxin differentially and selectively alters the contractile responses of porcine pulmonary vessels in vitro, towards a situation where the α-1 adrenergic responses of arteries are attenuated and the ET responses of veins are augmented. In situations with high adrenergic activity and high circulating ET levels, such as sepsis, these results may provide a mechanism contributing to pulmonary hypertension and edema formation.
Hyperuricemia Attenuates Aortic Nitric Oxide Generation, through Inhibition of Arginine Transport, in Rats
Authors: Schwartz Idit F. , Grupper Ayelet , Chernichovski Tamara , Grupper Avishai , Hillel Oren , Engel Anat , Schwartz Doron
Published: November 2010

Objectives: Hyperuricemia provokes endothelial dysfunction (ECD). Decreased endothelial nitric oxide synthase (eNOS) activity is an important source of ECD. Cationic amino acid transporter-1 (CAT-1) is the specific arginine transporter for eNOS. We hypothesize that hyperuricemia inhibits arginine uptake. Methods: Experiments were performed in freshly harvested aortas from untreated animals and rats fed with oxonic acid (hyperuricemia), and compared to hyperuricemic rats treated with either allopurinol, benzbromarone or arginine. Results: Arginine transport was significantly decreased in hyperuricemia. Benzbromarone and arginine prevented the decrease in arginine transport in hyperuricemic rats while allopurinol did not. Arginine transport was significantly decreased in control rats treated with allopurinol. Blood pressure response to acetylcholine was significantly attenuated in hyperuricemic rats, an effect which was prevented in all other experimental groups. L-NAME inhibitable cGMP response to carbamyl-choline was significantly decreased in hyperuricemic rats and this was completely prevented by both benzbromarone and arginine, while allopurinol partially prevented the aforementioned phenomenon. Hyperuricemia induced a significant increase in protein nitration that was prevented by benzbromarone, allopurinol, and arginine. Protein abundance of CAT-1, PKCα, and phosphorylated PKCα remained unchanged in all experimental groups. Conclusions: In hyperuricemia, the decrease in aortic eNOS activity is predominantly the result of attenuated arginine uptake.
Surveillance of Antimicrobial Susceptibility among Bacterial Isolates from Intensive Care Unit Patients of a Tertiary-Care University Hospital in Iran: 2006–2009
Authors: Mohammadtaheri Zohreh , Pourpaki Maryam , Mohammadi Forouzan , Namdar Rocsanna , Masjedi Mohammad-Reza
Published: November 2010

Background: This study was conducted to determine the antimicrobial susceptibility patterns among common pathogens in the intensive care unit (ICU) of a university hospital in Iran between 2006 and 2009. Methods: The isolates cultured in appropriate media and antimicrobial susceptibility were determined by disk diffusion tests according to the guidelines of the Clinical and Laboratory Standards Institute. Results: A total of 606 isolates were recovered from respiratory (70.63%), urine (20.13%), blood (4.95%) and wound (1.82%) specimens of 456 patients. The most common isolates were Acinetobacter baumannii (22.4%), Pseudomonas aeruginosa (20.6%), Staphylococcus aureus (11.1%), Escherichia coli (8.3%) and Klebsiella pneumoniae (4.8%). Less than 7% of A. baumannii isolates were susceptible to aminoglycosides, ceftazidime, cefotaxime, imipenem, cefepime and ciprofloxacin. None was susceptible to piperacillin and piperacillin-tazobactam. The susceptibility rates of P. aeruginosa to ciprofloxacin, gentamicin and piperacillin-tazobactam were 13.6, 17.4 and 33.3%, respectively. Methicillin-resistant S. aureus made up 96.2% of S. aureus isolates and was 100% susceptible to vancomycin and 51.9% susceptible to trimethoprim-sulfamethoxazole. Conclusion: Due to the high antimicrobial resistance in the ICU, we must focus on both a wiser use of antimicrobials and the prevention of infection.
Fluid Shear Stress Induces Renal Epithelial Gene Expression through Polycystin-2-Dependent Trafficking of Extracellular Regulated Kinase
Authors: Flores Daniel , Battini Lorenzo , Gusella G. Luca , Rohatgi Rajeev
Published: November 2010

Background: The cilium and cilial proteins have emerged as principal mechanosensors of renal epithelial cells responsible for translating mechanical forces into intracellular signals. Polycystin-2 (PC-2), a cilial protein, regulates flow/shear-induced changes in intracellular Ca2+ ([Ca2+]i) and recently has been implicated in the regulation of mitogen-activated protein (MAP) kinases. We hypothesize that fluid shear stress (FSS) activates PC-2 which regulates MAP kinase and, in turn, induces MAP kinase-dependent gene expression, specifically, monocyte chemoattractant protein-1 (MCP-1). Methods: To test this, PC-2 expression was constitutively reduced in a murine inner medullary collecting duct (IMCD3) cell line, and the expression of FSS-induced MCP-1 expression and MAP kinase signaling compared between the parental (PC-2-expressing) and PC-2-deficient IMCD3 cells. Results: FSS induces MAP kinase signaling and downstream MCP-1 mRNA expression in wild-type IMCD3 cells, while inhibitors of MAP kinase prevented the FSS-induced MCP-1 mRNA response. In contradistinction, FSS did not induce MCP-1 mRNA expression in PC-2-deficient cells, but did increase activation of the upstream MAP kinases. Wild-type cells exposed to FSS augmented the nuclear abundance of activated MAP kinase while PC-2-deficient cells did not. Conclusions: PC-2 regulates FSS-induced MAP kinase trafficking into the nucleus of CD cells.
The Eye as a Common Site for the Early Clinical Manifestation of Sarcoidosis
Authors: Heiligenhaus Arnd , Wefelmeyer Dirk , Wefelmeyer Elfa , Rösel Martin , Schrenk Mathias
Published: November 2010

Aims: Our purpose was to detect the rate of initial manifestation of sarcoidosis in the eye. Material and Methods: We conducted a retrospective chart review in a sarcoidosis clinic in Germany. Ophthalmological data were obtained by using a standardized protocol, including the medical history, any comorbidity, onset and type of ocular manifestation that was evaluated by slit lamp, tonometry and fundoscopy. Results: In the cohort of 1,800 patients (mean age 38.1 ± 11.8 years), diagnosis of sarcoidosis was established most commonly by bilateral hilar lymphadenopathy (96.2%), histopathology (46.9%) or other organ manifestations. The initial clinical presentation of sarcoidosis (mean age 34.1 ± 10.8 years) had often been eye manifestation (21.2%). Within this group, anterior uveitis was most common (76.4%), followed by intermediate (17.3%) and posterior uveitis (4.7%). Conclusions: The eye is commonly the first site for manifestation of sarcoidosis. Ophthalmologists have a critical role in establishing the diagnosis of sarcoidosis.
Long-Term Outcome After ICD and CRT Implantation and Influence of Remote Device Follow-Up
Authors: Saxon Leslie A. , Hayes David L. , Gilliam F. Roosevelt , Heidenreich Paul A. , Day John , Seth Milan , Meyer Timothy E. , Jones Paul W. , Boehmer John P.
Published: November 2010

Background—

Outcome data for patients receiving implantable cardioverter-defibrillator (ICD) and cardiac resynchronization therapy–defibrillator (CRT-D) devices treated outside of clinical trials are lacking. No clinical trial has evaluated mortality after device implantation or after shock therapy in large numbers of patients with implanted devices that regularly transmit device data over a network.

Methods and Results—

Survival status in patients implanted with ICD and CRT devices across the United States from a single manufacturer was assessed. Outcomes were compared between patients followed in device clinic settings and those who regularly transmit remote data collected from the device an average of 4 times monthly. Shock delivery and electrogram analysis could be ascertained from patients followed on the network, enabling survival after ICD shock to be evaluated. One- and 5-year survival rates in 185 778 patients after ICD implantation were 92% and 68% and were 88% and 54% for CRT-D device recipients. In 8228 patients implanted with CRT-only devices, survival was 82% and 48% at 1 and 5 years, respectively. For the 69 556 ICD and CRT-D patients receiving remote follow-up on the network, 1- and 5-year survival rates were higher compared with those in the 116 222 patients who received device follow-up in device clinics only (50% reduction;
P
<0.0001). There were no differences between patients followed on or off the remote network for the characteristics of age, gender, implanted device year or type, and economic or educational status. Shock therapy was associated with subsequent mortality risk for both ICD and CRT-D recipients.

Conclusions—

Survival after ICD and CRT-D implantation in patients treated in naturalistic practice compares favorably with survival rates observed in clinical trials. Remote follow-up of device data is associated with excellent survival, but arrhythmias that result in device therapy in this population are associated with a higher mortality risk compared with patients who do not require shock therapy.
Differences in Male and Female Adolescents From Various Racial Groups in the Relationship Between Insulin Resistance-Associated Parameters With Sugar-Sweetened Beverage Intake and Physical Activity Levels
Authors: Bremer Andrew A. , Byrd Robert S. , Auinger Peggy
Published: November 2010

Objective: To describe racial and gender differences in insulin resistance—associated parameters due to sugar-sweetened beverage (SSB) intake and physical activity (PA) levels in the adolescent population. Methods: Data from individuals aged 12 to 19 years from the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey during the years 1999-2004 were analyzed. SSB intake and PA levels were evaluated in Non-Hispanic whites, Non-Hispanic blacks, and Mexican Americans. Outcome measures included measurements of insulin sensitivity, lipids, blood pressure, waist circumference, and body mass index. Results: Multivariate linear regression analyses showed that anthropometric measurements, metabolic parameters, and indices of insulin resistance differed among the racial groups. Moreover, within each of these racial groups, they differed between the sexes. Conclusions: The differing relationships between insulin resistance—associated parameters and SSB intake and PA levels among racial groups and between the sexes illustrate the importance of race and gender in the investigation of diseases such as obesity and metabolic syndrome.
Mixture Rasch Models With Joint Maximum Likelihood Estimation
Authors: Willse John T.
Published: November 2010

This research provides a demonstration of the utility of mixture Rasch models. Specifically, a model capable of estimating a mixture partial credit model using joint maximum likelihood is presented. Like the partial credit model, the mixture partial credit model has the beneficial feature of being appropriate for analysis of assessment data containing any combination of dichotomous and polytomous item types. Mixture Rasch models are able to provide information regarding latent classes (subpopulations without manifest grouping variables) and separate item parameter estimates for each of these latent classes. In this research, the step parameters were constrained to be equal across items, making the model a mixture rating scale model. An analysis with simulated data provides a clear example demonstration followed by a real-world analysis and interpretation of student survey data.