Parallel and Distributed Processing of Spatial Preference Queries using Keywords

published_or_final_versio

Transcriptional silencing and activation of paternal DNA during Plasmodium berghei zygotic development and transformation to oocyst

The malaria parasite develops sexually in the mosquito midgut upon entry with the ingested blood meal before it can invade the midgut epithelium and embark on sporogony. Recent data have identified a number of distinct transcriptional programmes operating during this critical phase of the parasite life cycle. We aimed at characterizing the parental contribution to these transcriptional programmes and establish the genetic framework that would guide further studies of P lasmodium zygotic development and ookinete‐to‐oocyst transition. To achieve this we used in vitro and in vivo cross‐fertilization experiments of various parasite lines expressing fluorescent reporters under the control of constitutive and stage‐specific promoters. The results revealed that the zygote/ookinete stage exhibits a maternal phenotype with respect to constitutively expressed reporters, which is derived from either maternal mRNA inheritance or transcription of the maternal allele. The respective paternal alleles are silenced in the zygote/ookinete but reactivated after midgut invasion and transformation to oocyst. Transcripts specifically produced in the zygote/ookinete are synthesized de novo by both parental alleles. These findings highlight a putative role of epigenetic regulation of P lasmodium zygotic development and add substantially to the emerging picture of the molecular mechanisms regulating this important stage of malaria transmission

A new mathematical model for the interpretation of translational research evaluating six CTLA-4 polymorphisms in high-risk melanoma patients receiving adjuvant interferon

Adjuvant therapy of stage IIB/III melanoma with interferon reduces relapse and mortality by up to 33% but is accompanied by toxicity-related complications. Polymorphisms of the CTLA-4 gene associated with autoimmune diseases could help in identifying interferon treatment benefits. We previously genotyped 286 melanoma patients and 288 healthy (unrelated) individuals for six CTLA-4 polymorphisms (SNP). Previous analyses found no significant differences between the distributions of CTLA-4 polymorphisms in the melanoma population vs. controls, no significant difference in relapse free and overall survivals among patients and no correlation between autoimmunity and specific alleles. We report new analysis of these CTLA-4 genetic profiles, using Network Phenotyping Strategy (NPS). It is graph-theory based method, analyzing the SNP patterns. Application of NPS on CTLA-4 polymorphism captures allele relationship pattern for every patient into 6-partite mathematical graph P. Graphs P are combined into weighted 6-partite graph S, which subsequently decomposed into reference relationship profiles (RRP). Finally, every individual CTLA-4 genotype pattern is characterized by the graph distances of P from eight identified RRP's. RRP's are subgraphs of S, collecting equally frequent binary allele co-occurrences in all studied loci. If S topology represents the genetic "dominant model", the RRP's and their characteristic frequencies are identical to expectation-maximization derived haplotypes and maximal likelihood estimates of their frequencies. The graphrepresentation allows showing that patient CTLA-4 haplotypes are uniquely different from the controls by absence of specific SNP combinations. New function-related insight is derived when the 6-partite graph reflects allelic state of CTLA-4. We found that we can use differences between individual P and specific RRPs to identify patient subpopulations with clearly different polymorphic patterns relatively to controls as well as to identify patients with significantly different survival. © 2014 Pancoska et al

Understanding children’s constructions of meanings about other children: implications for inclusiveeducation

This paper explores the factors that influence the way children construct meanings about other children, and especially those who seem to experience marginalisation, within school contexts. The research involved an ethnographic study in a primary school in Cyprus over a period of 5 months. Qualitative methods were used, particularly participant observations and interviews with children. Interpretation of the data suggests that children's perceptions about other children, and especially those who come to experience marginalisation, are influenced by the following factors: other children and the interactions between them; adults’ way of behaving in the school; the existing structures within the school; and the cultures of the school and the wider educational context. Even though the most powerful factor was viewed to be the adults’ influence, it was rather the interweaving between different factors that seemed to lead to the creation of particular meanings for other children. In the end, it is argued that children's voices should be seen as an essential element within the process of developing inclusive practices.<br/

Big data analytics for time critical maritime and aerial mobility forecasting

The correlated exploitation of heterogeneous data sources offering very large archival and streaming data is important to increase the accuracy of computations when analysing and predicting future states of moving entities. Aiming to significantly advance the capacities of systems to improve safety and effectiveness of critical operations involving a large number of moving entities in large geographical areas, this paper describes progress achieved towards time critical big data analytics solutions to user-defined challenges in the air-traffic management and maritime domains. Besides, this paper presents further research challenges concerning data integration and management, predictive analytics for trajectory and events forecasting, and visual analytics

The view of teachers on bullying and implications for nursing

Objetivo: Compreender o bullying escolar, na perspectiva dos professores, e refletir sobre as possíveis ações da área da saúde em seu enfrentamento. Para tanto, tomaram- se por base as diretrizes do Programa Saúde na Escola, dos Ministérios da Saúde e da Educação. Método: Estudo de caso qualitativo, realizado com professores de uma escola pública de Minas Gerais. Foram utilizados grupos focais na coleta de dados e o material empírico foi decodificado a partir de técnica de análise temática de conteúdo, resultando em uma categoria analítica: concepções e experiências de professores diante do bullying. Resultados: Foram identificadas percepções pontuais sobre o fenômeno e utilização de recursos de intervenção pouco eficazes. No plano interpretativo, problematizaram-se as contribuições da saúde e da enfermagem no redimensionamento das intervenções e no processo de formação continuada dos professores. Conclusão: Os resultados apontam para a construção de práticas intersetoriais para o enfrentamento do bullying.To understand school bullying from the perspective of teachers and reflect about the possible actions of the health area when coping with it. The guidelines of the School Health Program of the Ministries of Health and Education were used to reach that purpose. Method: A qualitative study carried out with teachers of a public school in Minas Gerais. Focus groups were used to collect data and the empirical material was decoded from thematic analysis of content, resulting in an analytical category: conceptions and experiences of teachers on bullying. Results: Specific perceptions about the phenomenon and the use of ineffective intervention resources were identified. In the interpretive plan were problematized the health and nursing contributions with resizing the interventions and the continuing training process of teachers. Conclusion: The results point to the construction of intersectoral practices forcoping with bullying.Objetivo: Comprender el bullying escolar desde la perspectiva de los profesores, y reflexionar sobre las posibles acciones del área de salud en su enfrentamiento. Tomando como base los lineamientos del Programa de Salud Escolar, de los Ministerios de Salud y de Educación. Método: Estudio de caso cualitativo realizado con los profesores de una escuela pública en Minas Gerais. Para la recolección de datos se utilizaron grupos focales y el material empírico fue decodificado a partir de la técnica de análisis temático de contenido, dando lugar a una categoría analítica: concepciones y experiencias de los profesores sobre el acoso escolar. Resultados: Se identificaron percepciones específicas sobre el fenómeno y la utilización de recursos ineficaces de intervención. En el plano interpretativo, se problematizaron las contribuciones de la salud y de la enfermería en el redimensionamiento de las intervenciones y en el proceso de formación continua de los profesores. Conclusión: Los resultados apuntan a la construcción de prácticas intersectoriales para el enfrentamiento del bullying.CIEC - Centro de Investigação em Estudos da Criança, UM (UI 317 da FCT

Incidence of Insomnia in OSA patients and its correlations with parameters of polysomnography

Background/Aims: Prevalence of insomnia in obstructive sleep apnoea (OSA) patients has been estimated in many studies and has been found to be a frequent symptom (38% in a recent review 1).Our study aims to estimate the incidence of insomnia in Greek patients presenting to a public hospital sleep clinic, and correlate it with the severity of OSA and parameters of polysomnography (PSG). Methods: 100 patients who visited the sleep unit of the General Hospital ‘Evangelismos’ completed the Athens Insomnia Scale (AIS) and underwent a polysomnographic study. 56% were men, with mean age 54,7±12,5 years and BMI 31,5±6,2. Results: 70% of patients had insomnia. Insomnia (AIS≥6) and OSA (AHI≥5) were coexistent in 71,4 %. There was no correlation between insomnia and severity of OSA. A strong positive correlation was found/evident between difficulty in initiating sleep and number of hypopneas (r: 0,20 p:0,049), diminished functioning during the day and leg movements (r:0,21 p:0,050) and between daytime sleepiness and wake after sleep onset (WASO) (r:0,2 p:0,038). A negative correlation was found between overnight awakenings and sleep efficiency (r: -0,23 p: 0,021). Also, negative correlation was found between early morning awakening and minimum SpO2 (r=0.27, p=0,021), and between insufficient duration of sleep (r:-0,22 p: 0,021) and minimum SpO2. Conclusions: We found a high incidence of insomnia in patients with OSA, which does not correlate with severity of OSA. Contrary to many other studies, insomnia was not more common in women. More studies are required to clarify the significance of the positive correlation between insomnia and number of hypopneas and minimum SpO2

PETROLOGICAL CHARACTERS OF THE EARLY CRETACEOUS BOEOTHIAN FLYSCH, (CENTRAL GREECE)

This paper is aimed to study the petrographic characters of the Boeothian Flysch, an Early Cretaceous turbidite deposit which marks the boundary between the External/Internal Hellenides in central-southern Greece, in order to define a preliminary palaeogeographic reconstruction of the Pindos segment of the Alpine Tethys. The Boeothian Flysch is mainly made up by basal conglomerates and arenaceous-pelitic lithofacies, locally interlayered with Calpionellid micrite limestones. This formation is here supposed to belong to the Early Cretaceous flysch family, which marks the contact between the internal and external areas along all the western and central European Alpine Chains for more than 7,000 km, from the Gibraltar Arc to the Balkans via the Calabria-Peloritani Arc. Provenance of these flysch is commonly connected to internal areas, mainly made up by Hercynian crystalline basements and, locally, by ophiolitic complexes. The petrographic data obtained from representative sandstones of the Boeothian Flysch suggest a provenance from internal sources, formed by a Jurassic carbonate platform, metamorphic basements and by ophiolitic complexes, which can be identified with the Pelagonian Terranes (Auct.). An Early Cretaceous uplift and rejuvenation processes, probably related to the late Cretaceous tectogenesis, widely recorded in almost all the central-western Alpine Tethis, affected these internal domains with consequent production of abundant detrital supply in the innermost sector of the Pindos Ocean, whose external margin was bounded by the Parnassos microcontinent