A Sequence-Based Object-Oriented Model for Video Databases

Structuration, annotation and composition are amidst the most crucial modeling issues that video editing and querying in the context of a database entail. In this paper, we propose a sequence-based, object-oriented data model that addresses them in an unified, yet orthogonal way. Thanks to this orthogonality, the interactions between these three aspects are properly captured, i.e., annotations may be attached to any level of video structuration, and all the composition operators preserve the structurations and annotations of the argument videos. We also propose to query both the structuration and the annotations of videos using an extension of ODMG's OQL which integrates a set of algebraic operators on sequences. The overall proposal is formalized and implemented on top of an object-oriented DBMS.     

Cognitive-Behavioral Therapy for Insomnia: Comparison of Individual Therapy, Group Therapy, and Telephone Consultations.

Forty-five adults with primary insomnia received cognitive-behavioral therapy (CBT) implemented in a group therapy format, in individual face-to-face therapy or through brief individual telephone consultations. The results indicate that CBT was effective in improving sleep parameters with all 3 methods of treatment implementation, and there was no significant difference across methods of implementation. All 3 treatment modalities produced improvements in sleep that were maintained for 6 months after treatment completion. These results suggest that group therapy and telephone consultations represent cost-effective alternatives to individual therapy for the management of insomnia. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Transient natural convection and conjugate transients around a line heat source

Transient natural convection in liquid nitrogen around a heated wire is studied experimentally and numerically. A thin bronze wire of 40 μm in diameter and 5.1 cm in length heated by Joule effect is used in experiments and time evolutions of the wire temperature are measured through its electrical resistance. Numerical simulations of such flows are performed by using velocity-pressure formulation, spectral methods and domain decomposition technique. Experimental data and numerical results are compared and show that although the wire is extremely thin its thermal inertia plays an important role during early transients.Scaling analyses performed for the convection set-up and transients yield t∼q^−1/2 and ΔT∼q^3/4, which are confirmed by numerical simulations.For wires heated by Joule effect hybrid thermal conditions--combined Dirichlet and Neumann conditions are proposed on the wire surface and validated by numerical simulations. On the other hand flow conditions to be imposed on the outer artificial boundary are not well known and the answer to the question remains still open: two types of flow conditions are tested and yield different velocity fields.     

Les variables cognitives impliquées dans l'inquiétude face à la maladie.

The essential feature of Hypochondriasis is preoccupation with fear of having a serious disease based on a misinterpretation of bodily symptoms. While it is classified as a somatoform disorder, it presents many similarities with anxiety disorders, particularly Generalized Anxiety Disorder (GAD) which is core feature is excessive worry. Since these disorders present similar symptoms, it is also possible that similar cognitive mechanisms may be involved in their development and maintenance. The goal of the present study was to verify the relationship between illness worry and cognitive mechanisms related to GAD: Intolerance of uncertainty, faulty believes about the usefulness of worry, negative problem orientation, and cognitive avoidance. Three hundred and forty six adults (N=346) participated in this correlational study by completing relevant questionnaires. Results demonstrated that most GAD mechanisms were significant predictors of illness worry. Cognitive avoidance and negative problem orientation, entered first in the model, were the strongest predictors of the variance in illness worry scores. Faulty beliefs about worry explained only a marginal part of that variance once the first two predictors have been entered. Results also suggested that cognitive avoidance was a better predictor of illness worry compared to somatosensory-amplification, a cognitive mechanism considered as central in understanding Hypochondriasis (see Barsky & Wyshak, 1990). Clinical implications are discussed. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Familiarité des concepts vivant et non vivant en fonction de l'age et du genre.

This work presents the rates of subjective familiarity assessed for 120 concepts belonging to the living (animals, fruits, vegetables) and nonliving (vehicles, clothes, tools) domains according to the age and gender. At the same time as the construction of a set of concept norms contributing to the French study of the evolution of the conceptual organization in normal and pathological ageing, we test the assumption of an interaction between gender and category. The results stress the importance to distinguish the concepts according to these factors in the construction of experimental tasks. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Fatigue following traumatic brain injury: Frequency, characteristics, and associated factors.

Objectives: To document the frequency, characteristics, and factors associated with fatigue following traumatic brain injury (TBI). Design: Survey methodology and multivariate statistical design. Setting: Rehabilitation center and community. Participants: 452 participants aged 16 years and over with minor to severe TBI who answered a questionnaire measuring diverse aspects of fatigue as well as different dimensions of psychological distress, pain, and sleep quality. Measures: Proportion of participants reporting being significantly fatigued. Validated measures of fatigue, sleep quality, and psychological distress. Results of a logistic regression analysis. Results: Significant fatigue was reported by 68.5% of participants. Mental fatigue was the most prominent type of fatigue, followed by physical fatigue. Fatigue was present even several years following the accident and had many perceived impacts on day-to-day function. Factors associated with fatigue were a shorter time since injury; being on long-term disability leave; and higher levels of sleep problems, cognitive disturbances, and anxiety. Conclusion: Fatigue is a prevalent problem after TBI that requires more clinical and scientific attention because it probably has important repercussions on the quality of rehabilitation. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Impact of Gram-negative bacteria in interaction with a complex microbial consortium on biogenic amine content and sensory characteristics of an uncooked pressed cheese

The impact of Gram-negative bacteria on sensory characteristics and production of volatile compounds as well as biogenic amines (BA) in the core of an uncooked pressed type model cheese was investigated in the presence of a defined complex microbial consortium. Eleven strains of Gram-negative bacteria, selected on the basis of their biodiversity and in vitro BA-production ability, were individually tested in a model cheese. Four out of 6 strains of Enterobacteriaceae (Citrobacter freundii UCMA 4217, Klebsiella oxytoca 927, Hafnia alvei B16 and Proteus vulgaris UCMA 3780) reached counts close to 6 log CFU g⁻¹ in the model cheese. In core of cheeses inoculated with Gram-negative bacteria, only slight differences were observed for microbial counts (Enterococcus faecalis or Lactobacillus plantarum count differences below 1 log CFU g⁻¹), acetate concentration (differences below 200 mg kg⁻¹) and texture (greater firmness) in comparison to control cheeses. Cheese core colour, odour and volatile compound composition were not modified. Although ornithine, the precursor of putrescine, was present in all cheeses, putrescine was only detected in cheeses inoculated with H. alvei B16 and never exceeded 2.18 mmol kg⁻¹ cheese dry matter. Cadaverine was only detected in cheeses inoculated with H. alvei B16, K. oxytoca 927, Halomonas venusta 4C1A or Morganella morganii 3A2A but at lower concentrations (<1.05 mmol kg⁻¹ cheese dry matter), although lysine was available. Only insignificant amounts of the detrimental BA histamine and tyramine, as well as isopentylamine, tryptamine or phenylethylamine, were produced in the cheese model by any of the Gram-negative strains, including those which produced these BA at high levels in vitro.     

Oxidative Stress-Induced Sirtuin1 Downregulation Correlates to HIF-1α, GLUT-1, and VEGF-A Upregulation in Th1 Autoimmune Hashimoto’s Thyroiditis

In Hashimoto’s thyroiditis (HT), oxidative stress (OS) is driven by Th1 cytokines’ response interfering with the normal function of thyrocytes. OS results from an imbalance between an excessive production of reactive oxygen species (ROS) and a lowering of antioxidant production. Moreover, OS has been shown to inhibit Sirtuin 1 (SIRT1), which is able to prevent hypoxia-inducible factor (HIF)-1α stabilization. The aims of this study were to determine the involvement of NADPH-oxidases (NOX), SIRT1, and HIF-1α in HT pathophysiology as well as the status of antioxidant proteins such as peroxiredoxin 1 (PRDX1), catalase, and superoxide dismutase 1 (SOD1). The protein expressions of NOX2, NOX4, antioxidant enzymes, SIRT1, and HIF-1α, as well as glucose transporter-1 (GLUT-1) and vascular endothelial growth factor A (VEGF-A), were analyzed by Western blot in primary cultures of human thyrocytes that were or were not incubated with Th1 cytokines. The same proteins were also analyzed by immunohistochemistry in thyroid samples from control and HT patients. In human thyrocytes incubated with Th1 cytokines, NOX4 expression was increased whereas antioxidants, such as PRDX1, catalase, and SOD1, were reduced. Th1 cytokines also induced a significant decrease of SIRT1 protein expression associated with an upregulation of HIF-1α, GLUT-1, and VEGF-A proteins. With the exception of PRDX1 and SOD1, similar results were obtained in HT thyroids. OS due to an increase of ROS produced by NOX4 and a loss of antioxidant defenses (PRDX1, catalase, SOD1) correlates to a reduction of SIRT1 and an upregulation of HIF 1α, GLUT-1, and VEGF-A. Our study placed SIRT1 as a key regulator of OS and we, therefore, believe it could be considered as a potential therapeutic target in HT.     

Effects of environmental factors on leucine catabolism by Carnobacterium piscicola

The metabolites from leucine degradation are involved in dry fermented sausage aroma. The catabolism of leucine by a strain of Carnobacterium piscicola was studied directly in the growth medium with 3H-labelled leucine to investigate the effect of five parameters: phase of growth, pH, oxygen, glucose and alpha-ketoisocaproic acid. Resting cells (RC) were also incubated with 3H-labelled leucine. The radioactive metabolites from leucine catabolism were analysed by high performance liquid chromatography (HPLC). At pH 5.4 and 7.2, the main metabolites detected were 3-methyl butanal, 3-methyl butanol and alpha-ketoisocaproic acid. At pH 6.5, the leucine catabolism was maximum and was characterised by a high production of 3-methyl butanoic acid. Leucine catabolism was most important during the exponential phase of growth. The addition of alpha-ketoisocaproic acid at 1%, glucose at levels of 0.5% to 2% and shaking of the growth medium increased leucine catabolism.