Erratum to: Charge transfer in graphene/polymer interfaces for CO2 detection

Nano Research - The order of the authors in the original version of this article was unfortunately incorrect on the first page and the first page of the ESM. Instead of Myungwoo Son1, Yusin Pak1,...     

Management of stage III breast cancer

The influence of several methodological factors on mean values of sister chromatid exchanges (SCEs) and micronuclei (MN) in peripheral lymphocytes of 1,650 subjects was analyzed. Donors belonged to a general healthy population living in Pisa and in two nearby small cities: Cascina and Navacchio (Ca-Na). Blood samples were collected over a period of 29 months and processed in three different laboratories of the some institute. Slides were analyzed by several scorers. Our data showed that lymphocyte proliferation indexes (PIs) and baseline mean values of SCEs were affected mainly by sampling period. This factor accounted for a percentage ranging from roughly 10% (Pisa) to 20% (Ca-Na) of total SCE variance and from roughly 10% (Pisa) to 13% (Ca-Na) of total PIs variance. A marginal effect was attributable to the different laboratories involved (maximum 3% for SCEs and 7% for PIs). The sampling period variable included many sources of variability such as culture media batches, fetal calf serum, PHA, BrdUrd, and seasonality. MN counts revealed a more marked dependence on processing laboratories. This factor accounted for a percentage of roughly 10% (Pisa and Ca-Na) of total variance, while the sampling period was marginally effective (about 1-4% of total variability). Because laboratories were equipped and supplied with the same materials and consumables and technicians were rotated constantly, the only variable ascertained was represented by the three different models of CO2 incubators used for lymphocyte culturing. When "month" and "incubator" variables were considered jointly, experimental variability accounted for 15-20% of total variance, both for PIs and mean values SCEs and MN. The variability due to slide scoring was reduced by assigning each slide to five different scorers and matching low with high scorers in each group. Present data show that when the study is performed under these controlled conditions, about 20% of total interdonor variability can be explained by experimental or seasonal factors.     

Periodic orbits: a new language for neuronal dynamics

A new nonlinear dynamical analysis is applied to complex behavior from neuronal systems. The conceptual foundation of this analysis is the abstraction of observed neuronal activities into a dynamical landscape characterized by a hierarchy of "unstable periodic orbits" (UPOs). UPOs are rigorously identified in data sets representative of three different levels of organization in mammalian brain. An analysis based on UPOs affords a novel alternative method of decoding, predicting, and controlling these neuronal systems.     

Yearly stepwise increments of the growth hormone dose results in a better growth response after four years in girls with Turner syndrome. Dutch Working Group on Growth Hormone

To optimize the growth promoting effect of growth hormone (GH), 65 previously untreated girls with Turner syndrome (TS), chronological age (CA) 2-11 yr, were randomized into 3 dosage regimen groups: A, B, and C, with a daily recombinant-human GH dose during 4 study years of 4-4-4-4, 4-6-6-6, and 4-6-8-8 IU/m2 b.s. The first GH dosage increase in groups B and C resulted in a significantly higher mean height velocity (HV) compared with constant dose group A. During the third year, when the dose was raised again only in group C, mean HV was significantly higher in groups B and C than in group A, and in group C compared with group B. In year 4 only group C mean HV remained significantly higher than group A. The pattern of change in HSDSCA (Dutch-Swedish-Danish Turner references) was identical; however, in year 4 mean delta HSDSCA in group B also remained significantly higher than group A. After 4 yr GH treatment, the following was determined. 1) The mean delta HSDSCA was significantly higher for groups B and C compared with group A, but not significantly different between groups B and C. 2) Although significantly higher compared with estimated values for untreated Dutch girls with TS, bone maturation of the GH treated girls was not significantly different between groups. 3) It was positively related with the degree of bone age (BA) retardation at start of study and negatively with baseline CA. 4) Both the modified Index of Potential Height (mIPHRUS) and a recently developed Turner-specific final height (FH) prediction method (PTSRUS), based on regression coefficients for H, CA, and bone age, showed significant increases in mean FH prediction, without significant differences between groups. PTSRUS values were markedly higher than the mIPHRUS values. Dose dependency could be shown for the area under the curve (AUC) for GH, but delta HSDSCA was not linearly related with AUC. Baseline GH binding protein (BP) levels were in 84% of the cases within the normal age range; the decrease in mean levels after 6 months GH was not significant. Mean insulin-like growth factor I (IGF-I) and IGFBP-3 plasma levels increased significantly, without significant differences between groups. delta HSDSCA during GH was dependent on IGF-I plasma levels at baseline and during the study period, beta-0.002 and beta-0.0004. Thus, a stepwise GH-dosing approach reduced the "waning" effect of the growth response after 4 yr treatment without undue bone maturation. FH prediction was not significantly different between treatment groups. Irrespective of the GH dose used, initiation of GH treatment at a younger age was beneficial after 4 yr GH when expressed as actual cm gained or as gain in FH prediction, but was not statistically significant when expressed as delta HSDSCA over the study period.     

Modelling co-operation in the design of knowledge production systems: The Made In'Coop method

This paper presents the latest developments of the MadeIn 'Coop method for modelling the human-machine and human-human co-operation process, and an application of this method for the design of a more co-operative version of the C³I System CHEOPS. We first consider that the design of software systems for organizations is tied more and more to the perspective of compound Knowledge Production Systems that link humans and machines engaged in a co-operative problem solving process. After exposing the four principles upon which MadeIn 'Coop rests for modelling co-operation, we present an artificial problem solving dialogue between CHEOPS and its users. Consistent with the Group Cognitive Processes Theory framework, we propose a dialogue analysis according to two complimentary points of view: the Collective Problem Solving model, and the Coordination model. This analysis should help system designers to identify new system functionalities to assist problem solving.(C³I) Command Control Communication Intelligence Systems     

A 1-Local Asymptotic 13/9-Competitive Algorithm for Multicoloring Hexagonal Graphs

In the frequency allocation problem, we are given a mobile telephone network, whose geographical coverage area is divided into cells, wherein phone calls are serviced by assigning frequencies to them so that no two calls emanating from the same or neighboring cells are assigned the same frequency. The problem is to use the frequencies efficiently, i.e., minimize the span of frequencies used. The frequency allocation problem can be regarded as a multicoloring problem on a weighted hexagonal graph. In this paper, we give a 1-local asymptotic 4/3-competitive distributed algorithm for multicoloring a triangle-free hexagonal graph, which is a special case of hexagonal graph. Based on this result, we then propose a 1-local asymptotic13/9-competitive algorithm for multicoloring the (general-case) hexagonal graph, thereby improving the previous 1-local 3/2-competitive algorithm. A preliminary version of this paper appeared in the Proceedings of the 13th Annual International Computing and Combinatorics Conference (COCOON 2007), LNCS 4598, pp. 526–536. Y. Zhang research was supported by European Regional Development Fund (ERDF). F.Y.L. Chin research was supported by Hong Kong RGC Grant HKU-7113/07E. H. Zhu research was supported by National Natural Science Fund (grant #60496321).     

A Visualization Based Approach for Digital Signature Authentication

We propose a visualization based approach for digital signature authentication. Using our method, the speed and pressure aspects of a digital signature process can be clearly and intuitively conveyed to the user for digital signature authentication. Our design takes into account both the expressiveness and aesthetics of the derived visual patterns. With the visual aid provided by our method, digital signatures can be authenticated with better accuracy than using existing methods—even novices can examine the authenticity of a digital signature in most situations using our method. To validate the effectiveness of our method, we conducted a comprehensive user study which confirms positively the advantages of our approach. Our method can be employed as a new security enhancement measure for a range of business and legal applications in reality which involve digital signature authorization and authentication.     

Improved Interface Conditions for 2<Emphasis Type="Italic">D</Emphasis> Domain Decomposition with Corners: Numerical Applications

This article deals with a local improvement of domain decomposition methods for 2-dimensional elliptic problems for which either the geometry or the domain decomposition presents conical singularities. After explaining the main results of the theoretical analysis carried out in Chniti et al. (Calcolo 45, 2008), the numerical experiments presented in this article confirm the optimality properties of the new interface conditions.