Weighted-object ensemble clustering: methods and analysis

In recent years, research on provenance has increased exponentially, and such studies in the field of business process monitoring have been especially remarkable. Business process monitoring deals with recording information about the actual execution of processes to then extract valuable knowledge that can be utilized for business process quality improvement. In prior research, we developed an occurrence-centric approach built on our notion of occurrence that provides a holistic perspective of system dynamics. Based on this concept, more complex structures are defined herein, namely Occurrence Base (OcBase) and Occurrence Management System (OcSystem), which serve as scaffolding to develop business process monitoring systems. This paper focuses primarily on the critical provenance task of extracting valuable knowledge from such systems by proposing an Occurrence Query Framework that includes the definition of an Occurrence Base Metamodel and an Occurrence Query Language based on this metamodel. Our framework provides a way of working for the construction of business process monitoring systems that are provenance aware. As a proof of concept, a tool implementing the various components of the framework is presented. This tool has been tested against a real system in the context of biobanks.     

Metacluster-based Projective Clustering Ensembles

Machine Learning - The Projective Clustering Ensemble (PCE) problem is a recent clustering advance aimed at combining the two powerful tools of clustering ensembles and projective clustering. PCE...     

Unusual essential oils with aromatic properties III. Volatile components of gentian roots

Summary The essential oil obtained by steam distillation of gentian roots (Gentiana lutea L.,Gentianaceae family) - a plant well know for its pharmacological properties and employed in the food industry, especially in making liqueurs - was investigated. The oil, after separation into fractions on a silica gel column, was investigated by GLC and GLC/MS. Limonene (34.68%), linalool, carvacrol, cis-linalyl oxide and aterpineol were the main components of the oil, totalling 50.04%. Several other minor components have been identified and are listed.

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Ungewöhnliche etherische Öle mit aromatischen Eigenschaften III. Flüchtige Aromastoffe der Enzianwurzeln

Zusammenfassung Es wurde etherisches Öl analysiert, das durch Wasserdampfdestillation aus Enzianwurzeln (Gentiana lutea L.,Gentianaceae) gewonnen wurde. Die Pflanze ist aufgrund ihrer pharmakologischen Eigenschaften bekannt und wird auch in der Lebensmittelindustrie verwendet, ganz besonders für die Likör-und Magenbitterherstellung. Das Öl wurde durch Säulenchromatographie an Kieselgel mittels GLC und GC/MS analysiert. Limonen (34,68%), Linalool, Carvacrol,cis-Linalyloxid und -Terpineol bilden 50,04% des Öls. Darüber hinaus wurden weitere Bestandteile identifiziert.

     

DNA variation in a 5-Mb region of the X chromosome and estimates of sex-specific/type-specific mutation rates

Owing to its unique anatomic arterial supply and dual nerve innervation, the first web space of the foot can be used to harvest various sizes and shapes of flaps, which the authors have classified into four types according to their usage in hand reconstruction. This in turn depends on the site, shape, and size of the soft-tissue defect in the hand. Web skin flaps (n = 8) were used in prevention of contracture in the first web space and for proximal finger reconstruction. Two-island skin flaps (n = 4) were used to resurface the pulp defect in two adjacent fingers. In severe adduction contracture of the first web space, fill-up web flaps (n = 10) were used to replace the volume defect after a release procedure in the hand. Adjuvant web flaps (n = 9) were used in wrap-around procedures, in dorsalis pedis flap transfer, and in vascularized joint transfer to supplement the main flaps and to restore sensation in the reconstructed area. In the past 10 years up to February of 1998, a total of 31 patients with soft-tissue defects in the hand and fingers were reconstructed using the web space free flap with flap survival rate of 100 percent. The mean static 2-point discrimination was 8.5 (7.2 to 10) mm, and the mean first web angle was 86 degrees. The advantage of the first web space flap from the foot is that it can easily be harvested to match various sizes and shapes of defects in the hand and fingers. In addition, because of the anatomic similarity in contour, thickness, texture, and nerve innervation with the hand, the sensory restoration is excellent with minimal morbidity at the donor site. By classifying the flaps into four types according to various sizes, shapes, and the site from which the flap are harvested, clinical usefulness in various types of hand and finger reconstruction was confirmed.     

The use of non-hypothetical experimental markets for measuring the acceptance of genetically modified foods

The findings from a study measuring consumer acceptance of genetically modified (GM) foods are presented. The empirical data were collected in an experimental market, an approach used extensively in experimental economics for measuring the monetary value of goods. The approach has several advantages over standard approaches used in sensory and marketing research (e.g., surveys and focus groups) because of its non-hypothetical nature and the realism introduced by using real goods, real money, and market discipline. In each of three US locations, we elicited the monetary compensation consumers required to consume a GM food. Providing positive information about the benefits of GM food production, in some cases, reduced the level of monetary compensation demanded to consume the GM food.     

Radicular cysts are involved in the recruitment of osteoclast precursors

In consideration of the close relationship between radicular cysts and alveolar bone, it is important to evaluate the potential involvement of the neighbouring bone tissue in such lesions. In the present study, using cytochemical, immunocytochemical and morphological analyses, presumptive osteoclast precursors were revealed in the connective tissue of radicular cyst capsules. The osteoclastic nature of these cells was postulated by their positive staining for the enzyme tartrate-resistant acid phosphatase (TRAP) and by the expression of vitronectin receptor (VnR) on their cell surface. However, these cells did not express the vacuolar-type proton pump, suggesting that they may represent early osteoclast precursors infiltrating the cyst capsule. Cysts also contained activated small blood vessels whose endothelial cells expressed the VnR. This integrin receptor is important in the adhesion of preosteoclasts to the endothelial lining, a necessary step for their emigration out of the vasculature. Therefore, the intracystic vessels could represent a substrate for preosteoclast recruitment. These precursor cells may then reach the perialveolar bone surface and contribute to bone demolition together with those recruited by the resorbing surfaces. The bone-destroying potential of radicular cysts was confirmed by the presence of numerous osteoclasts with large resorption areas on the perialveolar bone surfaces exposed to the cyst capsules. The resorbed surfaces were usually located around the vascular canals of the Haversian systems.     

Modulation of CD14 and TLR4⋅MD‐2 Activities by a Synthetic Lipid A Mimetic

Monosaccharide lipid A mimetics based on a glucosamine core linked to two fatty acid chains and bearing one or two phosphate groups have been synthesized. Compounds 1 and 2 , each with one phosphate group, were practically inactive in inhibiting LPS‐induced TLR4 signaling and cytokine production in HEK‐blue cells and murine macrophages, but compound 3 , with two phosphate groups, was found to be active in efficiently inhibiting TLR4 signal in both cell types. The direct interaction between compound 3 and the MD‐2 coreceptor was investigated by NMR spectroscopy and molecular modeling/docking analysis. This compound also interacts directly with the CD14 receptor, stimulating its internalization by endocytosis. Experiments on macrophages show that the effect on CD14 reinforces the activity on MD‐2 ? TLR4 because compound 3 's activity is higher when CD14 is important for TLR4 signaling (i.e., at low LPS concentration). The dual targeting of MD‐2 and CD14, accompanied by good solubility in water and lack of toxicity, suggests the use of monosaccharide 3 as a lead compound for the development of drugs directed against TLR4related syndromes.     

Development of a thermal neutron detector based on scintillating fibers and silicon photomultipliers

We propose a technique for thermal neutron detection, based on a (6)Li converter placed in front of scintillating fibers readout by means of silicon photomultipliers. Such a technique allows building cheap and compact detectors and dosimeters, thus possibly opening new perspectives in terms of granular monitoring of neutron fluxes as well as space-resolved neutron detection.     

Spatial camera orientation control by rotation‐minimizing directed frames

The use of rotation‐minimizing directed frames (RMDFs) for defining smoothly varying camera orientations along given spatial paths, in real or virtual environments, is proposed. A directed frame on a space curve is a varying orthonormal basis for ℝ³ such that coincides with the unit polar vector from the origin to each curve point, and such a frame is rotation‐minimizing if its angular velocity vector maintains a vanishing component along o . To facilitate computation of rotation‐minimizing directed frames, it is shown that the basic theory is equivalent to the established theory for rotation‐minimizing adapted frames—for which one frame vector coincides with the tangent at each curve point—if one replaces the given space curve by its anti‐hodograph (i.e., indefinite integral). A family of polynomial curves on which RMDFs can be computed exactly by a rational function integration, the Pythagorean (P) curves, is also introduced, together with algorithms for their construction. Copyright © 2009 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Increased Valency Improves Inhibitory Activity of Peptides Targeting Proprotein Convertase Subtilisin/Kexin Type 9 (PCSK9)

Proprotein convertase subtilisin/kexin type 9 (PCSK9) is a clinically validated target for treating hypercholesterolemia. Peptide-based PCSK9 inhibitors have attracted pharmaceutical interest, but the effect of multivalency on bioactivity is poorly understood. Here we designed bivalent and tetravalent dendrimers, decorated with the PCSK9 inhibitory peptides Pep2-8[RRG] or P9-38, to study relationships between peptide binding affinity, peptide valency, and PCSK9 inhibition. Increased valency resulted in improved PCSK9 inhibition for both peptides, with activity improvements of up to 100-fold achieved for the P9-38-decorated dendrimers compared to monomeric P9-38 in in vitro competition binding assays. Furthermore, the P9-38-decorated dendrimers showed improved potency at restoring functional low-density lipoprotein (LDL) receptor levels and internalizing LDL in the presence of PCSK9, demonstrating significant cell-based activity at picomolar concentrations. This study demonstrates the potential of increasing valency as a strategy for increasing the efficacy of peptide-based PCSK9 therapeutics.